An alleged vandal broke into the Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia late Sunday night, causing damage and setting fire to parts of the building before being apprehended by State Patrol officers.
The suspect allegedly parked his car on a flower bed in front of the Capitol around 10:15 p.m. local time, according to State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis. Loftis said the suspect used two hammers to break in through a ground floor office before damaging statues and flags throughout the building.
The suspect set a fire in the state reception room, the formal receiving area where governors hold ceremonial bill signings and legislators welcome guests and dignitaries. In a statement, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck (D) said the suspect set fire to an original rug, which Heck called “a priceless treasure.”
Officers said the suspect was taken into custody without incident and booked at the Thurston County Jail. He has been charged with second degree burglary, second degree arson and one count of first degree malicious mischief.
Loftis said there is no indication that the suspect was acting with political motivation. The suspect was apparently experiencing a mental health crisis. No one was physically harmed in the incident.
The incident is the latest in a series of troubling episodes at and around state capitol buildings in recent months.
Earlier this year, an arson allegedly set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and his family slept inside. An assassin murdered former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband before shooting another state lawmaker in his own home.
In early 2024, someone called in bomb threats to at least 17 state capitol buildings. More recently, Democratic lawmakers were on the receiving end of a wave of threats after the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk.
In his statement, Heck said Sunday’s incident was a part of what he called “a significant escalation in both violence-tinged political rhetoric and actual violence. We can continue to adapt security measures, and we will, designed to prevent and deter such incidents.”
“The fact remains, however, that we must all do our part in turning down the temperature. Violent rhetoric, property destruction, and violence against individuals are a cancer on our democratic society,” Heck said.
Washington’s Department of Enterprise Services, the agency that oversees state buildings and property, was still assessing the damage to the building on Monday afternoon. The investigation is ongoing.
Lawmakers will celebrate the Capitol building’s 100th anniversary in 2028.
— Austin Jenkins contributed reporting.