The Battle Born Memorial on the Capitol grounds suffered cosmetic damage on Monday evening — just three days after Gov. Brian Sandoval dedicated the memorial to Nevada service members who have lost their lives.
The damage was reportedly caused by four teens, two riding BMX bicycles and two on Razor scooters. It includes cracks to three slabs of the black granite platform that stretches the length of the memorial. The granite also suffered a number of chips in several places along the edges of the horizontal surface. The surface was covered with numerous bike and scooter tire tracks.
The juvenile suspects were recorded on video cameras located between the memorial and the Supreme Court building.
There was no estimate at this point how much it will cost to repair the damage.
Buildings and Grounds officials were looking into a fence or other barrier to prevent anyone else from riding across the flat surface.
The innovative memorial features brass slats pierced with the names of fallen soldiers. It’s total cost was $450,000, including $300,000 in settlement funds provided by the Attorney General’s Office. The contract for the project was approved in December 2017 and construction was completed just days before the Nov. 9 dedication timed for the Veterans Day weekend.
Public safety officials refused to release any further information about the case pending conclusion of the investigation.