Few minutes after the alteration of the iconic Hollywood landmark sign on Hollywood hills made a near-instant splash on social media, LAPD arrested six people in connection to the stunt that altered HOLLYWOOD to HOLLYBOOB.
Capt. Steve Lurie of the Los Angeles Police Department wrote on Twitter that midday, a group “attempted to vandalize the Hollywood sign.” The group temporarily changed the iconic display to read “Hollyboob” by altering the W and D.
On social media, YouTuber Jack Tenney, known as “savage” on Instagram, appeared to take credit for the prank, sharing photos of himself posing with the “Hollyboob” sign in the background, as well as footage of himself being put in handcuffs after officers responded to the scene.
“Jack got arrested! ‘I gave the Hollywood sign a boob job’!” Tenney wrote on Instagram Monday. In a tweet, the social media personality’s management added, “Jack’s in jail for ‘Giving the Hollywood sign a boob job’ Updates as they come.”
However, local newspaper, Los Angeles Times reported that the stunt was carried out by breast cancer awareness activists.
Police say there was no structural damage, just a large tarp with the letter “B” on it was simply thrown over the “W,” and a white dash added to the “D” to make it complete the “BOOB” section of the sign.
The six has been cited with misdemeanour trespassing and released.
Mark Panatier, chairman of the Hollywood Sign Trust, failed to see the funny side of the Tinseltown stunt, calling the sign a “visual reinforcement of the importance of Hollywood,” and adding that it “doesn’t need to be demeaned.”
This isn’t the first time the Hollywood sign has been the target of alterations, in 2017, the structures were changed to read “Hollyweed” after California voters approved recreational marijuana.
The sign, situated on Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills, was originally created in 1923 when it read “Hollywoodland.”