US Park Police arrest man after Washington Monument vandalized with red paint

Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY
·1 min read
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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 21: U.S. Park Service employees remove graffiti on the Washington Monument on September 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. Overnight, a vandal wrote graffiti and threw red paint onto the the base of the Monument. A spokesman for the U.S. Park Police said one man was in custody in connection to the incident. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

A man was arrested after the Washington Monument was vandalized with red paint Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. Park Police.

A man allegedly used paint to vandalize the outside base of the 555-foot-tall marble monument located in Washington's National Mall around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, U.S. Park Police public information officer Sgt. Thomas Twiname told USA TODAY. Twiname did not identify the suspect.

“The National Park Service’s conservators have begun the process to restore the monument,” Twiname said Wednesday.

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The National Park Service began the restoration process for the monument "at first light," the service tweeted Wednesday morning.

"The top layer of paint is coming off and the pigment that seeped into the stone will be treated with many rounds of cleaning product application," the NPS tweeted alongside pictures of a crew cleaning the monument.

The NPS added: "A week of sunlight will also help return the monument to its usual impressive state. Thanks to our expert team for their hard work."

The area around the monument’s base was temporarily closed, the U.S. Park Police tweeted Tuesday night. The restoration process was not expected to impact Wednesday visitation for the monument, Twiname said.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 21: A U.S. Park Service employees remove graffiti on the Washington Monument on September 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. Overnight, a vandal wrote graffiti and threw red paint onto the the base of the Monument. A spokesman for the U.S. Park Police said one man was in custody in connection to the incident. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Washington Monument vandalized with paint; US Park Police arrest man