Man Flees After Breaking Into Ho Chi Minh Portrait Display

A man who apparently wanted to vandalize an exhibition of Ho Chi Minh portraits used an ax to break into an art gallery, then fled after being surprised by the gallery owner.

Operators of the Pacific Bridge Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Gallery said they awoke to the sound of smashing glass about 2:15 a.m. Wednesday when the vandal broke the security glass window in the front door.

Gallery owner Geoff Dorn went to investigate the 35-portrait installation while his partner called 911. As Dorn approached the exhibit, he saw a man leaving through the broken window. “He either saw or heard me coming,” Dorn said.

The artwork was untouched but police found a full can of spray paint where the suspect’s car had been parked.

The gallery has been the target of passionate protests since the March 18 opening of a series of lithographs by Boston artist C. David Thomas. On the exhibit’s opening night, more than 1,500 Vietnamese Americans lined the street outside, chanting and burning flags. The show runs through April 22.