HOLLYWOOD HILLS — Austin Mikel Clay, 24, of Glendale pleaded no contest on Wednesday, November 7 for the July 25 vandalization of President Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star with a pickaxe.
Clay immediately left the scene, but turned himself into authorities at the Beverly Hills Police Department the next day, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Deputy District Attorney Jeff Megee stated that Clay pleaded to one felony count of vandalism causing over $400 in damage to the star.
As a result, Clay faces three years of formal probation, one day in county jail, and 20 days of community labor. In addition to his sentence, Clay is required to attend psychological counseling and pay a restitution of $9,404.46 to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Austin Clay spoke with TMZ while in West Hollywood and indicated that Trump’s star should be removed from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “I just really think the star in general brings a really negative presence to Hollywood Boulevard,” Clay said. “If we can get the star off the Boulevard we can get him out of office,” added Clay.
Since the start of Trump’s presidency, his star which was unveiled on January 17, 2007 has been vandalized several times.
On July 26, a brawl broke out at Donald’s Trump star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Officials from the Los Angeles Police Department are searching for the two men suspected of assault and stealing a camera.
The fight occurred on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue Thursday night. A video was posted on Twitter of the fight at 10:27 p.m. The video shows an anti-Trump supporter yelling explicit content to a man wearing a Trump jersey. The man in the jersey tells the other man to get out of his face moments before a fight breaks out and several people are seen throwing punches and shoving each other. No one was seriously injured during the incident.
The Twitter user that posted the video of the fight stated in the tweet, “Fight breaks out at Donald Trump’s star on Hollywood Boulevard. All because @ElijahSchaffer was wearing a Trump jersey and USA hat. Be safe out there. The intolerance is real!”
Trump’s star was previously vandalized by James Otis in 2016 with a sledgehammer and ax. A video depicted Otis dressed as a construction worker in an orange vest and work boots removing pieces of the star located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd.
In a video posted on TMZ, Otis stated that the act was part of his protest against Trump for his mistreatment of women. He pled no contest to felony vandalism and was forced to pay over $4,000 to fix the damaged star.
In August 2018, West Hollywood Mayor John Duran tweeted, “West Hollywood City Council unanimously passes resolution asking the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to remove the Donald Trump star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
In response, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce released the following statement: “As of now, there are no plans to remove any stars from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The West Hollywood City Council does not have jurisdiction over the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historical record of entertainment figures past and present. Once installed, the stars become a part of the historic fabric of the Walk of Fame, a ‘designated historic cultural landmark,’ and are intended to be permanent. The stars only commemorate the recipients professional accomplishments. It is regrettable when the personal lives of inductees do not measure up to public standards and expectations; however, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce does not remove stars from the Walk of Fame.”
Written By Emily Loudermilk and Casey Jacobs
