A man who said he was angry at his girlfriend broke into the Dallas Museum of Art on Wednesday and caused more than $5 million in damage to artifacts and other property, according to a police document.
Dallas police said they arrested Brian Hernandez, 21, on Wednesday night.
Security video showed Hernandez outside the museum’s front entrance with a metal chair in hand about 9:40 p.m. Shortly after, he is seen on video in the museum, walking from room to room, smashing display cases and the items inside, according to a Dallas police arrest sheet.
After he punched a case multiple times, Hernandez grabbed a metal stool and shattered the glass and two pieces within it — a sixth-century Greek amphora and a pot dating to 450 B.C., according to the police document. The two items combined were valued at about $5 million, the document says.
He also smashed a case and destroyed a “Kylix Herakles and Nemeon Lion” statue, valued at about $100,000, according to police.
“The items inside of the display cases that were destroyed are rare ancient artifacts that are extremely precious and one of a kind,” the arrest sheet states.
Hernandez continued through the museum and used a hand sanitizer stand to shatter the case containing a statue of the “Batah Kuhuh Alligator Gar Fish” valued at $10,000, which he then picked up and slammed to the ground, breaking it to pieces, the sheet says.
Hernandez was also seen on security camera video destroying other property, including a laptop, a phone, a monitor, two wooden display signs and four plexiglass display cases, police said.
