Da Crusher Stands Strong (Of Course): Arrest Made in Statue Vandalism

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

The Crusher statue, installed near 11th and Milwaukee Avenue in South Milwaukee in June, has attracted thousands of fans since its unveiling. Unfortunately, the bronze statue has also recently attracted the attention of vandals.

Family members, who visit the statue regularly, noticed the damage on August 29, and reported that damage to the South Milwaukee Police Department. In the investigation that followed, police discovered that two men approached the statue on the night of August 24 and caused $1,200 in damage, when they repeatedly struck the statue with a concrete block.

Surveillance video from the area was instrumental in determining the time frame for the damage and helping police identify the people responsible.

An 18-year-old man from South Milwaukee has been arrested and has admitted to his involvement in this incident. He has been charged with Criminal Damage to Property by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and is currently being held in the Milwaukee County jail. A second man, 21, has also been identified but has not yet been arrested.

The damage was repaired over the weekend by Beth Sahagian, the South Milwaukee native who built the statue.

The Crusher statue – built to honor South Milwaukee native and iconic wrestler Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski – became reality through donations from hundreds of family and friends, and was unveiled on June 8 at Crusherfest. Chris Smith, wrestling fan and city attorney for South Milwaukee, led the effort, with the support of the Lisowski family and countless other supporters and volunteers.

Said Smith: “I would like to thank everyone who supported the efforts to celebrate the achievements of ‘The Wrestler Who Made Milwaukee Famous,’ and build this statue. I also want to thank the South Milwaukee Police Department for their hard work in bringing these turkeynecks to justice. Da Crusher Foundation will aggressively pursue criminal charges against any person who attempts to damage or deface the statue. The statue, like the man himself, will stand strong.”

Check out the video here, and media coverage from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Fox 6, WISN, and CBS 58.

Thank you to our police department, working with Chris, for their efforts in identifying and apprehending a suspect in this case. It took a lot of great detective work to get us to this point. Da Crusher would be proud.