Man accused of vandalizing WA State Capitol Building identified as former Gonzaga baseball player

OLYMPIA, Wash. — New surveillance video shows a former Gonzaga baseball player allegedly vandalizing the Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia on Sunday night, damaging historical artifacts and setting fire to multiple flags and a carpet.

KREM 2 News has decided not to name the suspect until he is formally charged. 

Surveillance video released by the Washington Department of Enterprise Services on Tuesday shows a man crashing his car outside the state capitol and walking up to an office window with a hammer, before breaking into the building.

Once inside, cameras show the man start throwing flags, tipping over busts, and setting things on fire inside the State Reception Room.

"The symbolism of entering our house of Democracy and engaging in vandalism and destruction is also heartbreaking," said Washington Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck. "We just have to figure out a way to turn the temperature down in this country."

Washington State Patrol responded to the call and says the suspect was inside the Capitol Building for roughly 11 minutes. WSP says this case doesn’t appear to be politically motivated but rather a mental health crisis.

Heck says crews will be working around the clock to repair and protect everything else inside the historic building.

KREM 2 did verify that the suspect once played baseball for Gonzaga University and later for the Jupiter Hammerheads, from which he was released back in 2019.

The Jupiter Hammerheads said it would not comment on the incident due to the ongoing investigation, and Gonzaga did not respond to a request for comment.

Court records also show that the suspect has been arrested for trespassing twice in the last 5 years on the west side of Washington.

The suspect was booked into the Thurston County Jail on probable cause for first-degree malicious mischief, second-degree arson, and burglary.