UPDATE: Reagan Statue Removed After Theft Attempt

Police were searching Monday for the man who tried to kidnap a bronze statue of former President Ronald Reagan from a Newport Beach park.

The attempted theft came less than a month after at Bonita Sports Park. According to a witness, the would-be thief tried to remove the statue using rope and a truck shortly after 5:30 a.m. Sunday.

"A guy walking his dog saw a man tie a rope around the statue, attach it to his truck and back away quickly," Newport Beach police Sgt. Kirk Jacobi said. "The witness followed the truck but lost him soon after."

Jacobi said the statue was damaged in the incident, which initially left the sculpture tilting like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The life-size statue was later removed by a city crew for repairs.

"I don’t have any details yet on the cost of--or a timeline for--repairing the Reagan statue," city spokeswoman Tara Finnigan said Monday. "The artist is out of town and we will need to confer with her once she returns."

The suspect was last seen fleeing the park in a tan pickup truck.