The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Dorchester was vandalized this week, and State Police are searching for those responsible for the defacement, which left the stone memorial damaged and an American flag cut in half.

State Police said a woman passing the memorial, a neighborhood landmark on Morrissey Boulevard, on Thursday noticed the damage and alerted State Police.

Bricks had been thrown at the memorial, leaving marks on the stone, an American flag was cut up, and a Massachusetts flag was taken off its pole and found near trees with trash littered on top of it, State Police said Friday in a statement.

A POW/MIA flag was also missing from the memorial, and vegetation in the area was uprooted, said State Police Lieutenant Tom Ryan.

Ryan said police are not sure precisely when the vandalism occurred, but it was before 3 p.m. Thursday.

The investigation is ongoing, and State Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call them at 617-740-7710.

Katie Camero can be reached at katie.camero@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @camerokt_