Quantico Monument: Suspect Released on Bond

A 27-year-old man was released on bond Monday morning after being charged with destroying a historic WWII monument near Quantico, Virginia.

Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano appeared in Prince William County Circuit Court to have his bond set. Court officials indicated that his next hearing date will be scheduled in the near future.

Prince William County Police responded to the scene near Marine Corps Base Quantico at 10:13 p.m. on October 21. Officers allegedly found Soriano striking a limestone sculpture with a sledgehammer. The statue, which stands nine feet tall, depicts the flag raising on Mount Suribachi during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. Felix de Weldon sculpted the piece, the same artist who created the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington.

Investigators reported that the limestone suffered extensive damage during the incident. One Marine figure lost its head entirely, while other figures in the sculpture were also damaged. Police estimated that repairs to the monument will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Soriano faces three charges: felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage property, and felony injury to a monument. Federal sources stated he crossed into the United States illegally in December 1999. He received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status in 2014 under the Obama administration. That status was extended in 2024 but expired in August 2026 without renewal.

The court granted bond to the former DACA recipient on Monday. His legal team has not yet provided a public statement regarding his defense strategy.