Red paint was splattered across the Christopher Columbus statue in San Antonio's Columbus Park on Thursday. The vandalism at the park, located on the western edge of downtown, was discovered by an officer on patrol around 4:30 a.m. No one was in the vicinity of the park at the time, police said.

A work order was filed to remove the paint and the case is under investigation. An officer on the scene with the San Antonio Park Police said law enforcement will increase patrols in the area. "This is exactly what we were trying to avoid," said Paolo Cristadoro, a spokesperson for the Christopher Columbus Italian Society of San Antonio.