Man Who Smashed Donald Trump's Walk Of Fame Star While Dressed As Hulk Has Been Arrested

Last week brought a true Mad-Lib of a headline when it was revealed that President Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was once again vandalized, the wrinkle this time is that the destructor decided to do the entire thing in costume as Marvel's The Incredible Hulk. Just a few days later, TMZ reports that the green clad culprit has been caught, and surprisingly he's been accused of this exact same crime before. According to the outlet, James Otis turned himself in to the LAPD and was charged with felony vandalism. Otis previously destroyed Trump's star on the Walk of Fame back in 2016 and was given the same charge three years ago.

According to the outlet, Otis was identified by police after they saw video of the incident on Friday morning, which came just hours after Trump confirmed he'd contracted the COVID-19 coronavirus. LAPD was told he'd turn himself in for the crime as well, which he apparently did on Monday morning. TMZ reports that Otis remains in jail for the time being and is being held on $20,000 bail.

"Any star, which is vandalized or destroyed, no matter which honoree it belongs to will be replaced by the Hollywood Historic Trust, a non-profit, non-partisan group," Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rana Ghadban said in a statement on Friday. "When people are angry with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalize a California State landmark. Our democracy is based on respect for the law. People can make a real difference by voting and not destroying public property."

Otis' latest destruction of Trump's star is the third time it has been obliterated since 2016, with Otis taking a jackhammer and pickaxe to it ahead of his 2016 election. Another person took their frustrations with Trump out on his star in 2018, with Austin Clay demolishing it with a pickaxe on his own. It was repaired both times in a matter of days and is currently being reconstructed once again. Trump's star has also been cleaned of graffiti, stickers, and other trash over the years as Trump's policies and demands as president have been protested en masse.

In another report in 2018, TMZ reported that Otis and Clay met each other after their two incidents and befriended each other, reportedly sharing tips on "how to navigate the criminal justice system for the best outcome." We can only hope that meeting was helpful this week.

(Cover photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images)