Skateboard-wielding suspect accused of destroying D.C.'s tiki torch statue

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Skateboard-wielding suspect accused of destroying D.C.’s tiki torch statue
The man was arrested on destruction of property and drug charges after police say he demolished the politically themed artwork.


A statue called “The Donald J. Trump Enduring Flame” is displayed Monday at Freedom Plaza in D.C. (Valerie Plesch for The Washington Post)

By Emily Davies and Joe Heim
October 31, 2024 at 5:54 p.m. EDT

The mysterious tiki torch statue, part of a series of artworks popping up across the country apparently meant to mock former president Donald Trump, fell Wednesday evening at the hand of a man wielding his skateboard as an ax, according to authorities. ... The incident occurred about 6:15 p.m. in D.C.’s Freedom Plaza, where the torch once stood about eight feet tall. By the time the skateboarder was done with it, according to charging documents, it was broken into multiple pieces. ... A day later, all 75 pounds of wood, foam and plaster of the tiki torch installation — meant to ridicule Trump followers who took part in the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017 — had vanished.

The people who obtained a permit from the National Park Service to temporarily display the tiki torch statue and a replica of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s desk topped by a giant swirl of fake poop on the National Mall near the Capitol last week have also claimed responsibility for two statues of Trump that appeared in Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon. ... Those statues had plaques on them reading “In Honor of a Lifetime of Sexual Assault.” They quoted from Trump’s 2005 remarks to “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush about being able to kiss women without asking them and grab them by their genitals. Both of the Trump statues were placed next to prominent female nude sculptures.

In connection to the fractured tiki torch, prosecutors charged a man named Balarama-Dasa Adebisi with destruction of property and possession of cocaine. A Park Police officer in charging documents said a “white powdery substance” was found in Adebisi’s pocket after he was detained on charges of destroying the statue.

A skateboard lesson provider called GOSKATE lists a man by the same name as Adebisi as “a skateboard guru in washington.” Neither the attorney listed for Adebisi in court records nor GOSKATE responded to a request for comment. ... Park Police, in court records, said Adebisi acted alongside a second skateboarder. But the other man fled on his skateboard, according to the report. He has not been identified.

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By Emily Davies
Emily Davies is a reporter covering crime and criminal justice in Washington, D.C. She started at The Washington Post as an intern in June 2019.follow on X @ELaserDavies

By Joe Heim
Joe Heim joined The Washington Post in 1999. He is a staff writer for the Metro section. follow on X @JoeHeim