A vehicle is thought to have crashed into the front gate of Malibu Elementary School, some time on Sunday, Oct. 18 or early Monday morning, Oct. 19, rendering the gate “unusable.”
Major damage to the school’s front gate was discovered by a school custodian, according to information provided by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department determined on Monday afternoon that a “car driven recklessly around the parking lot” had crashed into the gate.
The crash, which occurred some time after 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, bent the Point Dume school’s gate to the point where it was deemed “unusable,” according to the press release.
As of 4 p.m. Oct. 19, the district did not yet have an estimate of repair costs.
In a prepared statement, SMMUSD Chief Operations Officer Cary Upton said an investigation was ongoing.
“We are disappointed that someone choose to damage school property. Safety and security of our staff, students and property, are our top priorities,” Upton said in the statement. “We have reported to law enforcement and we are investigating.”
The district encouraged all community members to report any suspicious activity witnessed at the school over the weekend to the LASD Malibu/Lost Hills Station (818.878.1808) or through the anonymous tip website.