A 21-year-old man broke into the Dallas Museum of Art in Texas and damaged several ancient artefacts worth more than $5 million. The man, identified by the Dallas police as Brian Hernandez, said he wrecked the museum because he was "mad at his girlfriend", according to a report in Dallas Morning News.
Hernandez broke into the museum by repeatedly striking a glass door with a steel chair and damaged three ancient Greek artefacts dating to the 5th and 6th centuries BC.
The three Greek vessels included a black drinking cup called a "kylix" from 550-530 BC decorated with a mythic scene, an amphora from the 6th century BC featuring images from the Trojan War, and a lidded vessel called a "pyxis" from 450 BC. Also seriously damaged was a ceramic bottle in the shape of a garfish created by Native American ceramic artist Chase Kahwinhut Earles, CNN reported.
Museum director Agustin Arteaga, however, said that Hernandez had no intention of stealing anything from the museum and that no one was hurt in the incident. When the police arrived, they found the suspect outside the museum.
The Dallas police said Hernandez had been charged with criminal mischief of greater than or equal to $300,000. His bail bond was set at $100,000.
Hernandez confessed during a police interview that he got "mad at my girl" so he broke in and "started destroying property".
A similar incident was reported at the Louvre Museum in Paris recently where a visitor threw a cake at the world-famous Mona Lisa painting's protective glass. However, the masterpiece was not damaged.
The incident comes just days after the world-famous Mona Lisa was the target of attempted vandalism at the Louvre Museum in Paris. A visitor threw a cake at the painting's protective glass, but the masterpiece was not damaged.