A 21-year-old man was arrested Thursday after he allegedly threw large rocks at the Washington State Legislative Building in Olympia, damaging 13 window sets and two doors.
Around 1:15 a.m., a Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper heard loud noises near the northwest corner of the building, which is the operational center of the state’s Capitol Campus, according to WSP.
The trooper saw a man throwing large rocks at the windows of the first floor. As another trooper arrived at the scene, the man reportedly fled in a white 2009 Chevrolet Malibu.
Troopers chased after the man, and additional troopers, as well as Olympia Police Department (OPD) officers, joined the pursuit. WSP said a trooper’s vehicle was struck by the man’s car, but had little damage, and no injuries were reported.
The man reportedly turned onto the power station service access road on the east side of Capitol Lake. He left the access road and drove onto a wooden bridge on a popular pedestrian walkway before crashing shortly after.
Cameras on the Capitol Campus located the man lying face down near the railroad tracks at the south end of Marathon Park.
Man taken into custody in connection with Legislative Building vandalism
The suspect was taken into custody without further incident by WSP and OPD officers.
Law enforcement administered a sobriety test, and the man was arrested for DUI, assault in the second degree, and malicious mischief in the first degree, according to WSP. He is being held in the Thurston County Jail.
WSP said an early assessment of the Legislative Building showed no one broke in, but 13 office window sets and two doors were heavily damaged by large rocks and the man’s fist or hands, as there was blood on several windows.
Authorities noted the protective film installed on the windows after previous vandalism was effective in stopping entry and limiting any interior damage.
The Department of Enterprise Services is conducting cleanup, replacement, and restoration.
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
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