WATCH: California Skateboarder Desecrates Veterans Memorial

A disturbing video is going viral this week, showing the moment a skateboarder rode over a veterans memorial in San Diego, California.

The video was captured at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial in San Diego, where the names and photos of more than 5,000 Americans are inscribed into the black granite walls. Unfortunately, the video shows an unidentified man disrespecting the memorial by riding his skateboard across the tops of the memorial’s curved granite walls. He then jumps and tries to land on another side wall using the board.

“I’m appalled at such disregard and carelessness,” Neil O’Connell, President and CEO of Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, said in a statement that was posted to Facebook. “Our granite walls require constant care by volunteers due to the atmosphere. It’s a lot of work. But come on, how disrespectful is it to ride skateboards over the tops and edges of this fine surface.”

A skateboarder in San Diego is the suspect of a vandalism case, after a video surfaced of him riding across the sacred walls of a memorial honoring military members: https://t.co/UcGM1ueUiO pic.twitter.com/IoPxJL94vr

— Morning Express with Robin Meade (@MorningExp) May 22, 2020

Don Hotz, whose uncle and father are memorialized on this memorial, said that what the skateboarder did was “disrespectful.”

“I know what it’s like to be a kid and a skater, but this is where frankly I draw the line,” Hotz said. “If you’re listening guys, I would appreciate it if you would not do that kind of thing. That’s disrespectful to men that spend their lives protecting what we have today.”

San Diego Police Department officials told CNN that they have been notified about this incident and have launched an investigation into it.

The memorial was erected back in 1952, and it is meant to honor veterans dating all the way back to the Revolutionary War. “We would ask that everybody remember to honor the sanctity of the MT Soledad National Veterans Memorial and respect the sacrifices of our veterans who are honored here,” O’Connell said. “Especially to be considerate of their families and loved ones who hold the memorial plaques so close in their hearts.”

This piece was written by PopZette Staff on May 25, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.