Armenian church vandalized: Jewish man smashes sacred monument
A 23-year-old Glendale man who allegedly used a sledgehammer to smash a sacred monument outside St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church could face felony vandalism charges, police said, according to glendalenewspress.
Victor Petrescu was arrested Tuesday after he was seen using a sledgehammer to break off pieces from the church's monument, causing roughly $80,000 in damage, Glendale Police said.
Petrescu told police he was Jewish, and that "it said in the Bible he must destroy sacred pillars."
Church staff and congregants saw Petrescu and tried stopping him, but he didn't answer as he raised the sledgehammer and cracked the monument.
When they called out to him, Petrescu reportedly turned and showed them his sledgehammer, so they backed away.
The monument was donated to the church more than 10 years ago and commemorates the day 1,700 years ago when Armenians adopted Christianity.