Boston Man Yanks Paul Revere’s Headstone Out of Grave, Vandalizes Holocaust Memorial During City-Wide Spree, Cops Say

A homeless man is accused of a vandalism spree across downtown Boston that left tombstones destroyed, a police cruiser windshield shattered and damage to a Holocaust memorial.

The Boston Police Department says Lawrence Hawkins, 46, faces multiple counts of destruction of property and destruction of a place of worship in connection with the string of at least eight incidents.

The first call came in at around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday. Police found the front door of a business smashed and a brick inside. They got a description of a suspect from a surveillance video.

Shortly after midnight, a police officer who was starting his shift found the front windshield smashed.

Later that morning, officers found a window on a building had been broken. The description of the suspect was similar to the prior incidents.

Another surveillance video showed the man throwing something at the Holocaust Memorial. Officers found a brick on the ground and vandalism to the memorial.

They found more broken windows on nearby businesses just after 3 a.m.

Officers were able to follow the suspect through video surveillance and saw him enter a homeless shelter. They responded and arrested him around 4:30 a.m.

Later in the day, police responded to a vandalism report at the Granary Burying Ground. They found fourteen tombstones, including Paul Revere’s, pulled from the ground or broken into pieces.

Officers found six tombstones at the adjacent King’s Chapel Burying Ground had been vandalized and one forcibly pulled from the ground.

Hawkins will face additional counts of destruction of property and defacing a burial site. He was due in court on Monday.