Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Destroyed by Sledgehammer and Pickaxe

A vandal wielding a sledgehammer and pickaxe destroyed Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the early morning hours Wednesday in an apparent protest of the Republican presidential nominee.

In a video posted to Deadline Hollywood, a man disguised as a city construction worker blocked off part of the walk before taking a sledgehammer to the star and stabbing at it with a pickaxe around 5:45 a.m. local time.

The protester, who identified himself to Deadline as James Otis, said his plan was to remove the star so he could put it up for auction and raise funds for the women who have accused Trump of sexual assault. However, the plan came to an abrupt end when the star, which he earned for Trump's work on NBC's "The Apprentice," crumbled.

It's not the first time Trump's Walk of Fame star was targeted by vandals. In September, Trump's star was defaced with a large yellow "X."

"We regret that someone would deface a historic landmark," Leron Gubler, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said in a statement at the time. "People who have a disagreement with Donald Trump should not take it out on the Walk of Fame. The star will be restored to its original condition as soon as possible."

In January, a Nazi swastika was spray painted over Trump's star. A mute button was painted over the star in June. And in July, a controversial street artist by the name Plastic Jesus built a miniature wall to represent Trump’s plan to build a barrier along the Mexican border.

Earlier this year, a petition to strip Trump of his star gained thousands of signatures but was ultimately rejected by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

In the past few months, 11 women have claimed that the New York businessman groped or otherwise sexually assaulted them. For his part, Trump insists that the claims are all false and that he plans to sue them once the election is over.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons