A broken washing machine, though not the one that the Samsung exec broke REUTERS/Vincent West German police questioned an LG executive for allegedly damaging Samsung products on purpose at a Berlin mall, ahead of the major IFA tech trade show starting later this week, Yonhap News, South Korea's largest news agency, reports.

Store clerks reportedly spotted the executive breaking the doors of four Samsung washing machines, and contacted the police.

When questioned, the LG executive denied the accusations, but closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras reportedly showed him "pressing down on the doors of the machines" so they couldn't close. Other footage reportedly caught different LG employees vandalizing displayed Samsung products in another part of the store.

Police reportedly closed the case after LG agreed to buy all of the damaged goods.

"The executive was only checking Samsung's washing machines as their doors were shaking when the shop clerks accused him that he was damaging the products," an LG spokesperson said. "It is just one of those common incidents that occur ahead of electronics shows."

Business Insider reached out to LG for further comment.