Suspect in Iwo Jima Statue Damage May Have Mental Health Issues, Police Say
WHO:
NBC4 Washington - Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, was accused of damaging the Iwo Jima statue.
NBC4 Washington - A Prince William County police detective testified about the investigation and the suspect’s mental health; the detective said Maldonado Soriano was arrested without incident.
NBC4 Washington - Maldonado Soriano’s defense attorney opposed using threats against him on social media as grounds to keep him in jail.
NBC4 Washington - Keil Gentry, director of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, described the monument’s significance and the difficulty of repairing it.
NBC4 Washington - Dr. Felix Weihs de Weldon carved the statue; photographer Joe Rosenthal’s image inspired it.
Drudge Report - Its headline described the accused man as possibly having mental health issues; it provided no further details.
WHAT:
NBC4 Washington - Maldonado Soriano was charged with felony destruction of property after allegedly using a sledgehammer to break a soldier’s head off the statue.
NBC4 Washington - Police said the damage amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
NBC4 Washington - The detective said Maldonado Soriano showed signs of mental health issues, made several statements about self-harm, and allegedly told detectives that rapper DaBaby had told him to desecrate the statue.
NBC4 Washington - A judge granted Maldonado Soriano $2,500 bond and ordered GPS monitoring.
NBC4 Washington - The detective said ICE had issued a detainer because Maldonado Soriano is not a green-card holder; federal immigration agents could take him into custody if released.
NBC4 Washington - Prosecutors argued that online threats to Maldonado Soriano’s life supported holding him in jail for his protection. The defense argued the law did not allow that consideration; the judge agreed with the defense.
NBC4 Washington - Gentry said generations of promotions, commissionings, retirements, and reenlistments had taken place in front of the monument. Experts had been consulted about repairs, which he called “likely to be challenging.”
WHERE:
NBC4 Washington - The statue stands at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia.
NBC4 Washington - Maldonado Soriano has lived in Stafford County since he was one year old.
WHEN:
WHEN:
NBC4 Washington - The alleged vandalism occurred Wednesday night; the bond hearing took place Monday.
NBC4 Washington - A preliminary hearing was set for January.
NBC4 Washington - De Weldon carved the nine-foot limestone statue over nine years in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
HOW:
NBC4 Washington - The statue depicts the Iwo Jima event and was inspired by Rosenthal’s photograph.
NBC4 Washington - The article says Maldonado Soriano could be detained by ICE and deported before the preliminary hearing.
(UPDATED October 26, 2026 22:11 UTC)
A judge granted Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, $2,500 bond with GPS monitoring after he was charged with felony destruction of property for allegedly using a sledgehammer to break a soldier’s head off the Iwo Jima statue at Marine Corps Base Quantico; police estimated the damage in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. A detective testified that Maldonado Soriano showed signs of mental health issues, made statements about self-harm, and allegedly said rapper DaBaby told him to desecrate the monument, while an ICE detainer could lead to his custody if released; the judge rejected prosecutors’ argument that online threats against him justified keeping him jailed for his protection. The statue, carved by Dr. Felix Weihs de Weldon and inspired by Joe Rosenthal’s photograph, has hosted generations of military ceremonies, and museum director Keil Gentry said repairs could be challenging; a preliminary hearing is set for January.