A prankster managed to change the iconic sign overlooking Los Angeles early Sunday to read “Hollyweed,” said L.A. Police Officer Christopher Garcia, who works in the agency’s security service division
Los Angeles police said unidentified thrill-seekers had climbed up and arranged tarps over the two letter “O’s” to make them look like “E’s”, two of which carried the peace sign.
The sign was vandalised around 3am by a male suspect dressed in all black on the New Year night, according to police.
By 11.15am the sign had been amended and restored to its original state, but not before the great and the good in the Hollywood Hollyweed Hills had taken a few photos and made a few jokes.
Estevan Montemayor, a spokesman for Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu, whose district includes the Hollywood sign, had earlier promised the iconic sign would be restored to its normal state.
“We don’t know who did it but park rangers are going up there very soon to take down the draping that was put on top of the ‘O’ to alter the sign,” Montemayor said Sunday morning.
There are sensors at the sign that trigger an alarm for police, but because the sensors are only in certain areas of the letters, it’s possible to avoid them. There’s a road accessible to the public by foot and car behind the sign.
“We believe this person came from behind the sign,” Garcia said.
The Hollywood Sign Trust was established in 1978 as a fund to protect the sign and hillside surrounding – there’s 24 hour surveillance, infrared cameras, motion sensors and razor-wire fence surrounding the sign.
