An individual wielding a hammer was apprehended for damaging statues of Mother Teresa and a Catholic pope outside a church in Brooklyn on Monday.
Randy Maldonado Avila, aged 30, reportedly used a hammer to vandalize the statues, as well as the glass doors of St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church in Bensonhurst. He then proceeded to cause further destruction by smashing a pedestrian walk sign and two MTA bus shelters, as per police reports.
Maldonado Avila, hailing from Flatbush, allegedly targeted the statues of Mother Teresa and Pope John XXIII outside the church on Bay Ridge Parkway around 3:30 p.m., leaving the latter with severe damage, including the loss of its face and right hand, as depicted in photos shared by the church.
Following the vandalism at the church, Maldonado Avila is said to have damaged a pedestrian traffic signal and two glass bus shelters along Bay Parkway before being arrested about 15 minutes later. He has been charged with multiple felony and misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief, as well as criminal possession of a weapon. Despite having no prior criminal record, he was taken to a local hospital where he remained as of Tuesday night.
The church expressed sadness over the incident, emphasizing the violation of sacred statues and the damage to their church doors. They also thanked God that no physical injuries were reported. It remains unclear if Maldonado Avila will face hate crime charges for the vandalism at the Catholic church.
