A 21-year-old man is accused of damaging more than a dozen windows at Washington’s Legislative Building before leading law enforcement on a chase through Olympia early Thursday morning.
The incident began around 1:15 a.m. when a Washington State Trooper heard loud noises near the northwest corner of the Legislative Building, which serves as the operational center of the state Capitol Campus, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The trooper reportedly saw a man throwing large rocks at first-floor windows from a distance.
As another Capitol Campus trooper arrived, the suspect allegedly fled in a white 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, prompting a pursuit involving additional state troopers and officers from the Olympia Police Department.
During the chase, the suspect’s vehicle struck a Washington State Patrol vehicle, causing minor damage. No injuries were reported, according to WSP.
Authorities said the suspect drove onto a power station access road near Capitol Lake before crossing a wooden pedestrian bridge and crashing a short time later.
Security cameras operated by the Washington Department of Enterprise Services reportedly located the suspect lying near railroad tracks at the south end of Marathon Park. He was taken into custody without further incident, police said.
The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Clayton Stephen Seaborn.
Troopers administered a sobriety test and arrested Seaborn on suspicion of DUI, second-degree assault, and first-degree malicious mischief, according to WSP. He was booked into the Thurston County jail.
An initial assessment found that 13 office window sets and two doors sustained significant damage, according to police. Investigators said large rocks were used to damage the windows and that blood was found on several surfaces, suggesting the suspect may have struck the building with his hands or fists.
Authorities said no one gained access to the building.
State officials credited protective security film installed after previous vandalism incidents with preventing entry and limiting damage inside the building.
The Department of Enterprise Services is overseeing cleanup, repairs, and restoration work.
The vandalism comes about eight months after a separate incident in which a man allegedly set a fire inside the Capitol building, causing significant damage.
