Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star vandalized

Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was badly vandalized, possibly with a sledgehammer, media and officials said on Wednesday.

A photo published in the online Hollywood publication Deadline.com showed Trump's name scratched out, the emblem in the middle dislodged and chips from the star missing.

The Republican presidential nominee, real estate developer and reality TV star has been the focus of several large protests during his campaign appearances in California, where polls show he is trailing far behind Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The former host of the NBC show "The Apprentice," Trump received his Walk of Fame star in 2007. A spokeswoman for Trump could not be reached immediately for comment.

Los Angeles Police do not have a suspect or motive and the investigation into the vandalism, discovered at around 6 a.m. local time on Wednesday, is ongoing, said spokeswoman Norma Eisenman.

Deadline.com said a man who identified himself to the publication as Jamie Oatis damaged the star with a sledgehammer. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

It was not immediately clear if the vandalism was done in reaction to Trump's presidential campaign. He has offended many voters and some other Republican candidates with inflammatory rhetoric about minorities and women.

In the summer, a street artist erected a tiny wall around the star, complete with miniature American flags and barbed wire. The art piece, which was later removed, made light of Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which administers the hundreds of celebrity stars on sidewalks in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood, could not immediately be reached for comment.