A man was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly dumping a bucket of paint and writing profanities on the Washington Monument.
U.S. Park Police officers arrested the man, whose name has not been released, at around 7:30 p.m. Video showed red paint on the Monument and profanities on one of the walls.
The motive of the vandalism was not immediately clear.
The base was expected to remain closed for a few overnight hours as an investigation continues, and National Park Service said crews were preparing to begin work “first thing in the morning” Wednesday.
Crews clean red paint off the Washington Monument on Sept. 21, 2022, after it was vandalized.
Workers with washers and cleaning solutions were seen spraying away the profanity about sunrise Wednesday.
NPS spokesperson Mike Litterest told our partners at WTOP that it could take up to three weeks before the paint is completely removed. Multiple rounds of treatment may be necessary to get paint out of the porous marble.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
