An Ohio State University gift shop has released surveillance video of a young man destroying a statue of Brutus the Buckeye — and being hit in the head.
Footage captured by College Traditions’ surveillance system shows a man in a hooded sweatshirt kicking the statue into the street in front of their store at 286 W. Lane Avenue. The statue slides across the road.
Towards the end of the video, the man picks up Brutus and throws the statue against something. It bounces and hits him in the head.
Kroger’s Columbus division will loan their Brutus the Buckeye statue to the College Traditions bookstore after the bookstore’s statue was damaged by vandals.
The man and the statue then disappear from view and the man walks back the way he came without the statue, continuing to walk on the street instead of on the sidewalk.
Police said Tuesday they had identified the man. The 21-year-old was charged with vandalism and theft, each of which are fourth-degree felonies punishable by six to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, police said.
Kroger’s Columbus division loaned its statue to the store. The timely offer came during Ohio State University’s “Beat Michigan” week, when people come out in force to take photos with the statue, an OSU tradition.
bagallion@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Watch Ohio State Brutus Destroy Buckeye Statue, Whack Attacker
