An intruder broke into the Washington State Capitol, smashed a glass door, set fire to a rug and a flag, and bludgeoned George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. before being taken into custody by state troopers.
Olympia, Washington – OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — An intruder broke into the Washington State Capitol, smashed a glass door, set fire to a rug and a flag, and struck down busts of George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. before being taken into custody by state troopers.
The man, who has a history of mental health challenges, was booked into the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, first-degree arson and first-degree malicious mischief, Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loves said.
“The suspect’s actions were very purposeful at the Capitol but appear to be an individual experiencing a mental health crisis of some type,” Loves said in an email to The Associated Press.
The man was parked in a flower bed in the flag circle in front of the Legislative Building at about 10:15 p.m. Sunday and was spotted by someone at the Department of Enterprise Services, which maintains the state Capitol campus. The State Patrol was alerted.
The suspect had two hammers and broke through a ground floor office window, where he continued upstairs where he damaged items as he moved through the building, Loves said.
Lt. Gov. Denny Heck said the flags on the side of the Rotunda were knocked down and one was burned.
“He broke a glass door to enter the government reception room, where he also set fire to several objects, including the original rug, a priceless treasure.”
Diandra Assana, a spokesman for Heck, said the State Patrol did not find the incident to be politically motivated.