Man steals American flag, vandalizes property at Titusville Disabled American Veterans Center
TITUSVILLE, Fla. - A man was caught on camera cutting down and stealing an American flag from disabled veterans in Titusville.
The same man was also videoed damaging the outdoor seating area and breaking the BBQ grill at the Disabled American Veterans Center in Titusville. Within hours, the non-profit knew who was responsible, and Titusville Police were able to make an arrest because the community stepped in to help.
In security footage shared with FOX 35, you can see a man cutting down Old Glory and crumpling the Stars and Stripes into a backpack. On Tuesday night, the man was also videoed breaking a grill and stealing the wheels. He also knocked over the property in the outdoor seating area and threw garbage around.
The crimes were caught on camera and shared on social media on Thursday night. Commander John Dunn said he was heartbroken when he watched the flag hit the ground and disappointed because crimes like this take away resources from veterans.
His heartbreak turned into heartfelt gratitude overnight.
"I came home quite angry last night," he said. "But, after I saw the support on Facebook and how they found this guy within an hour. We had his name within an hour and where he was located. It spread so fast, I couldn’t imagine, wow!"
John says they’ve been serving veterans on Singleton Avenue for 52 years and never had something like this happen.
Just a day later, people are already volunteering to help install a new flag. Titusville Police called this criminal mischief a high-priority investigation and arrested a suspect on Friday afternoon. TPD is still investigating and says the agency will prioritize any criminal acts against local veterans.
The new flag should be installed very soon, but the outdoor grill is still unusable. This is extremely important here at the DAV because they often host community gatherings and food events for veterans and their families, so they’re doing what they can to replace this grill as soon as possible.
DAV chapters are always looking for volunteers to serve veterans in the community. You can learn more about this local chapter in Titusville by clicking HERE.