At least six people were arrested Monday for vandalizing the Hollywood sign to read “Hollyboob” in an attempt to spread a message on breast cancer awareness. The tarps which were put over the sign were immediately removed after YouTuber Vsauce flagged the same to LA police.
The Hollywood Sign, overlooking the film industry in Los Angeles, is one of the most famous landmarks in the country. Located in the Hollywood Hills area in the Santa Monica Mountains on Mount Lee, the sign is privately secured by the Hollywood Sign Trust.
The sign is heavily guarded by fences and is under intense security to protect it from pranks and vandalism. While it is prohibited to approach the sign, people can view it from the Griffith Observatory.
Popular YouTuber Michael Stevens, also known as Vsauce, recently took to Twitter to share photos of a large tarp of the letter B placed over the W of the Hollywood Sign and another smaller tarp, a dash, placed in the middle of the D to make it look like the letter B, thus spelling “HOLLYBOOB”.
LAPD Captain Steve Lurie made a statement soon after, saying that the six people (five men and one woman) had been caught trespassing on security cameras and were arrested by patrol officers. The Twitter page of The Hollywood Sign retweeted Laurie’s statement, thanking him and the LAPD Hollywood Division for the immediate response. The six people are being charged with misdemeanor and trespassing.
A similar incident happened on New Year’s Day in 2017 when a prankster covered a part of both Os with dark tarps, creating “HOLLYWeeD”. In Monday’s incident, the six individuals changed the sign to spread awareness for breast cancer. The Hollywood Sign was created in 1923 and has become a popular tourist attraction, thus making it prone to symbolic pranks.
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