Group on Capitol Hill causes significant property damage, starts fire
Jul 23, 2020, 5:19 AM | Updated: 11:57 am
Broken windows in the Capitol Hill area after a protest Wednesday. (KIRO Radio/Hanna Scott)
(KIRO Radio/Hanna Scott)
At 9 p.m. Wednesday, a group gathered in Cal Anderson Park as part of a “Call for Direct Action” event, calling to defund the police. The group continued to march through Capitol Hill, in what KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott reports started as chanting and marching but left a path of destruction in its wake.
About 100 or so marching on Capitol Hill tonight calling for defunding police, no feds etc. Outside East Preccinct where a couple oh @SeattlePD officers behind gated garage. Maybe a couple dozen officers on bikes at a distance in the area @KIRORadio pic.twitter.com/5vlXQVIPQx
— Hanna Scott (@HannaKIROFM) July 23, 2020
Scenes from loosely organized direct action event in #Seattle last night that started as chanting/marching but left a path of destruction in its wake. @KIRORadio pic.twitter.com/0c6XzxwVef
— Hanna Scott (@HannaKIROFM) July 23, 2020
Seattle police chief asks city council to involve SPD in reform efforts
The Seattle Police Department says it was a group of about 150, which later “roamed about” the Capitol Hill neighborhood, “doing massive amounts of property damage, looting, shooting fireworks, and committing arson.”
Some individuals broke the windows of a business on East Olive Way and started a fire inside. Seattle Fire extinguished the fire.
Windows at many other businesses in the area were broken. A few individuals broke in to the businesses and took merchandise. At one store, the merchandise was put in the middle of the street where it was later lit on fire. Two banks were also damaged in the area of Summit and Madison.
SPD said the group returned to Cal Anderson Park and then dispersed.
There were no arrests made, and no officers were injured.
