Vandals damage, topple Manneken Pis statue at D Las Vegas casino
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LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- The owner of D Las Vegas is working to identify a group of vandals who were seen on surveillance video damaging the Manneken Pis replica statue earlier this week.
According to the casino, the incident happened on Monday, Sept. 20 about 2:30 a.m. The statue was located in front of the valet parking near the corner of 3rd Street and Carson Avenue.
Property security footage captured approximately nine individuals dancing around the statue, and one of them was seen climbing the art piece. According to management, that individual pulled the back of the statue, causing it to collapse. The party was seen immediately leaving the area as the the object fell to the ground.
"Life is Beautiful for a lot of people, but for my man Manneken Pis it was a rough night Sunday night after the festival," D Las Vegas CEO Derek Stevens said.
Stevens tweeted the security video showing the incident hoping to identify the suspects involved.
"I don't think they meant anything malicious, but unfortunately they broke Manneken Pis and broke the fountain. It was a sad day for us, sad day for him and a sad day for Las Vegas," Stevens said.
The large-scale bronze statue is a replica of a 17th century exhibit in Brussels, Belgium called "Manneken Pis" or "Little Man Pee," according to the resort. The figure is meant to evoke a cheerful boy who "relieves himself" into the fountain.
The piece holds a special place in the lives of Stevens and his brother, Greg, who are of Belgian descent and visited the real statue often throughout their childhood. A lifelong fan of the cheeky work-of-art, Stevens brought a replica to welcome guests at the D in 2015.
"I just thought it would be a great import to las Vegas," Stevens said. "We brought him in five six years ago and it kind of represents a lot of what The D is. It's just about hanging out and having fun and all that."
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at (702)385-5555 or online at www.CrimeStoppersOfNV.com.
