{"id":20850,"date":"2026-01-20T01:17:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2026\/01\/20\/man-smashes-sculptures-in-midday-attack-at-dallas-museum-of-biblical-art\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T01:17:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:17:38","slug":"man-smashes-sculptures-in-midday-attack-at-dallas-museum-of-biblical-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2026\/01\/20\/man-smashes-sculptures-in-midday-attack-at-dallas-museum-of-biblical-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Man smashes sculptures in midday attack at Dallas Museum of Biblical Art"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Vandalism at the Dallas Museum of Biblical Art<\/h1>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A man tried to break into the Dallas Museum of Biblical Art this month, smashing several sculptures in a brazen midday attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Police said the man, identified as 34-year-old Elvis Santos, damaged pieces outside the museum near North Park Center, then attempted to break in around 1 p.m. Jan. 5, a Monday, when the museum was closed.<\/p>\n<h2>The Arrest and Charges<\/h2>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Santos was arrested and remains in the Dallas County Jail, jail records show, facing charges of felony criminal mischief and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. Bond is set at $11,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A motive was not immediately clear, nor was a cost estimate for damages, although Dallas police said it exceeded $300,000. Museum officials did not respond to phone calls Friday seeking more information.<\/p>\n<h2>Stay Informed About Crime in Your Area<\/h2>\n<p>Crime in The News<\/p>\n<p class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__3beff secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-20 text-center text-gray-dark\">Read the crime and public safety news your neighbors are talking about.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__8MgJa flex flex-wrap text-gray-dark secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-10 text-center justify-center\">By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/p>\n<h2>About the Dallas Museum of Biblical Art<\/h2>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Founded in 1966, the museum features rare maps and manuscripts, oil paintings, contemporary works and biblical archeology that seek to illuminate connections between Christian and Jewish faiths.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Galleries include the National Center for Jewish Art, Museum of Holocaust Art, European Art Treasury, a sculpture garden and a working restoration lab. Notable artists with exhibited works include Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall and Michelangelo.<\/p>\n<h3>A History of Challenges<\/h3>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">In 2005, the museum was gutted by a fire caused by faulty wiring. It reopened in 2010 with expanded gallery space.<\/p>\n<h2>Previous Vandalism Incidents<\/h2>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">This is not the first vandalism at a Dallas museum. In 2022, a 21-year-old man broke into the city-owned Dallas Museum of Art and smashed three ancient Greek artifacts and a contemporary Native American piece.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-only-list-only-module__DAHnF list-disc\">Letters to the Editor \u2014 British Flying Training School, college playoffs, guns, petsFort Worth museum named Texas\u2019 top free attraction<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The vandalism at the Dallas Museum of Biblical Art is a disturbing incident that highlights the need for increased security measures at cultural institutions. The museum&#8217;s rich collection of art and artifacts is a valuable resource for the community, and it is essential that we take steps to protect it.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Q: What happened at the Dallas Museum of Biblical Art?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A: A man tried to break into the museum and smashed several sculptures in a brazen midday attack.<\/p>\n<h3>Q: Who was arrested in connection with the incident?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A: Elvis Santos, a 34-year-old man, was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief and resisting arrest.<\/p>\n<h3>Q: What is the estimated cost of the damages?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A: The cost of the damages is estimated to exceed $300,000.<\/p>\n<h3>Q: Has the museum experienced any previous incidents of vandalism?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A: Yes, in 2022, a 21-year-old man broke into the city-owned Dallas Museum of Art and smashed three ancient Greek artifacts and a contemporary Native American piece.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vandalism at the Dallas Museum of Biblical Art A man tried to break into the Dallas Museum of Biblical Art this month, smashing several sculptures in a brazen midday attack. Police said the man, identified as 34-year-old Elvis Santos, damaged pieces outside the museum near North Park Center, then attempted to break in around 1 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":20852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/5J7BYDHBA6SKK2X4RKH2SD5MJU.jpg?auth=b3fc615e2981d7ff68bdc6c76619bdb22d33db815eab21bf81ca09ca4e153e11&quality=80&width=1200&height=630&focal=1900,501","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20850"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20853,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20850\/revisions\/20853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}