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Video shows suspects smashing Olympic cauldron in downtown Vancouver

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Authorities have released video of two suspects vandalizing part of the Olympic cauldron in downtown Vancouver over the weekend – an act police have described as "planned and deliberate."

The 51-second video shows the unidentified suspects approaching the cauldron in Jack Poole Plaza early Saturday morning, pulling out some kind of tool and smashing the tempered glass covering one of the pillars.

One of the suspects appears to be recording the vandalism on a cellphone or camera.

“The video of the two suspects destroying a piece of Vancouver Olympic history is maddening, " Const. Jason Doucette of the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement.

"These two will likely use the video for some sort of bragging rights, and when they do, we hope their friends will do the right thing and call police."

Authorities said the suspects spent about 12 minutes in the plaza at around 3:30 a.m., and briefly approached the cauldron before leaving the area. They returned approximately 30 minutes later to smash the glass, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

There are hundreds of glass panels covering the cauldron, each custom made by Studio 3 Glass in Port Coquitlam. Owner Nasar Niki confirmed his business will be replacing six shattered panels.

Speaking to CTV News on Monday, Niki said the vandalism had left him emotional.

"To be honest with you, it's breaking my heart," he said. "Sometimes I talk with my friends and say the cauldron is like my baby."

Niki said replicating the distinctive look of the glass will take some time, but that he's determined to make the repair look seamless.

Vancouver police asked anyone with information on the vandalism to contact the department or Crime Stoppers.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Shannon Paterson 

 

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