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Santa Ana Buddhist Temple Vandalized

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Someone targeted statues at a Buddhist temple in Santa Ana, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and it's not the first time.

Detectives have video of the suspect and now they just need the suspect.

There are about 50 marble statues from Vietnam at the temple.

Security tape taken on Aug. 14 shows a woman casually walking into the back parking lot with a bag, possibly a hammer in her hand.

Police say that she struck about eight of the statues and managed to do serious damage to each one of them.

The temple on 5th Street has been targeted before, including in 2016 and 2015 by the same woman, although it isn't clear yet if she committed the last vandalism or if it was someone else.

"The belief of Buddhism is when people do a good thing they will receive a good result but when you do a bad thing you will receive a bad result," said Buddhist nun Alice Nguyen.

Nguyen said there is about $60,000 in damage.

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