Vandal Damages Ken Griffey Jr. Statue

SEATTLE, WA - Police arrested a man who damaged the Ken Griffey Jr. statue outside Safeco Field Tuesday afternoon. Several witnesses had called 911 around 5 p.m. reporting that a man was damaging the statue, which is located at 1st Avenue South and South Royal Brougham Way. The suspect had allegedly broken the baseball off the statue.

Police located the suspect nearby and took him into custody. Police recovered near the statue, which was returned to Safeco security personnel. The suspect was booked and King County Jail and charged with malicious mischief.

Watch: Vandal Damages Ken Griffey Jr. Statue

The Mariners retired Griffey's number in 2016. He was also elected to the Hall of Fame that year with more than 99 percent of the vote. Griffey spent most years of his electric career with the Mariners, racking up ten Gold Gloves, nine All-Star appearances, and leading the American League in home runs four times. He also won the AL MVP in 1997.

Detectives are handling the follow-up investigation.(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Seattle Patch, click here to find your local Washington Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Image via Ted S. Warren/Associated Press