A 14-year-old was taken into custody after a pride flag was torn down at an LGBTQ support center in downtown Half Moon Bay, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said.

A juvenile “forcibly removed” and damaged the flag that was in front of CoastPride Center at 711 Main St. about 9 p.m. Friday, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

With help from witnesses, deputies located and apprehended a Half Moon Bay juvenile near the scene. The youth was given a citation and was released to their parents, the sheriff’s office said.

The CoastPride Center at 711 Main St. in Half Moon Bay appears in an undated Google Street View image. The center’s website says it aims to provide “a safe space online and at community events to gather the diversity of our voices, raise awareness of LGBTQ issues, and address the needs of our LGBTQ youth, families, and adults.” (Google image)

The vandalism is being investigated as a potential hate crime and marks the third occurrence of such a crime at the center in a year, sheriff’s deputies said.

“The Sheriff’s Office stands united against hate and will not tolerate acts that divide our community,” it said in the Facebook post. “We want to commend the community members who exemplified, ‘See Something, Say Something,’ and want to encourage others to follow that same example.”