An intruder broke into the Washington state Capitol in Olympia and smashed a glass door, set fire to a rug and flag, and knocked over busts of George Washington and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. before he was taken into custody by state troopers. The man, who has a history of mental health issues, was booked into Thurston County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, first-degree arson, and first-degree malicious mischief, said a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol. "The suspect's actions were very purposeful at the Capitol but appears to be an individual experiencing a mental health crisis of some sort," Chris Loftis wrote in an email to the AP.
The suspect parked in a flowerbed in the flag circle in front of the Legislative Building at about 10:15pm Sunday and was spotted by someone with the Department of Enterprise Services, which stewards the Capitol's campus, who then alerted the state patrol. Carrying two hammers, the suspect broke in through a ground-floor window, then proceeded upstairs, where he damaged items while moving through the building, Loftis said. Lt. Gov. Denny Heck said the flags on the side of the Rotunda were knocked over, and one was burned. "He broke a glass door to enter the State Reception Room, where he also set fire to several objects, including the original rug, which is a priceless treasure." A spokesperson for Heck said the state patrol did not find the crime to be politically motivated.
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