Michael Reed, 32, screamed the word „Freedom“ as he drove his vehicle into the monument, toppling it less than a day after it was installed on the grounds.
LITTLE ROCK, AR — A man who drove his car into a newly constructed monument of the Ten Commandments outside the state capitol in Arkansas broadcast his actions on Facebook Live.
Michael Reed, 32, screamed the word „Freedom“ as he drove his vehicle into the monument, toppling it less than a day after it was installed on the grounds.
Reed has been previously linked to the destruction of a Ten Commandments monument in Oklahoma.
An officer near the Arkansas monument saw Reed drive his vehicle into the monument and arrested Reed soon after.
The 6-foot-tall statue was installed Tuesday after $26,000 in private donation were raised to build the monument. Reed ran into the monument around 4: 45 a.m. Wednesday.
Reed faces charges of defacing objects of public respect, trespassing on Capitol grounds and first-degree criminal mischief, according to a police report.
Prior to filming the act of destroying the monument, Reed posted a different video expressing his support for Christianity, but also believing in the separation of church and state.
Debates across the country have popped up regarding the placement of religious monuments on state grounds as some people believe it is a violation of the Constitution which calls for a separation of church and state. Others have argued that state’s rights allow for the states to make their own decisions on the issue.
Reed is being held without bail until a formal court appearance is made.
