WASHINGTON — Two men are under arrest after allegedly dumping a red powder all over the encasement protecting the U.S. Constitution on Wednesday.
The National Archives Rotunda and galleries closed to the public following the act of vandalism at 2:30 p.m.
The two men were immediately detained by security personnel. They have both been placed under arrest for the Destruction of Federal Property and identified as 35-year-old Donald Jose-David Zepeda of Southeast, D.C., and 27-year-old Jackson George Green of Northwest, D.C.
The investigation into the act of vandalism is active and ongoing.
The National Archives Building is expected to reopen on Thursday.
“The National Archives Rotunda is the sanctuary for our nation’s founding documents. They are here for all Americans to view and understand the principles of our nation. We take such vandalism very seriously and we will insist that the perpetrators be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States.
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