Jackie Robinson statue at Brooklyn ballpark vandalized with swastikas and racial slurs

NEW YORK The Jackie Robinson statue outside MCU Park in Coney Island has been vandalized, CBS New York reports.

Somebody spray-painted swastikas and racist slurs on the statue which depicts Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese in a famous pose from 1947, the station reported.

Brooklyn Cyclones officials made the disturbing discovery when they arrived at the park Wednesday morning.

"Immediately we went into action to try to clean it and remove the graffiti," Billy Harner, Director of Communications for the Brooklyn Cyclones, told 1010 WINS.

Crews worked to remove the vandalism from the base of the statue ahead of the 11 a.m. game between the Cyclones and the Connecticut Tigers. They covered the hateful comments with duct tape after the solution crews were using to clean the statue failed to remove the paint, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.

Police are at the scene investigating the incident.

"We have video surveillance of the area, we're looking at the tapes to investigate exactly what took place," Harner said.

The Cyclones are a minor league affiliate of the New York Mets.