Watch―Washington State Church Vandalized: ‘Religion of Hate’

A church in Bellevue, Washington, was recently vandalized with stones and graffiti, leading to the arrest of a 31-year-old man.

Fox News reports:

The incident, which unfolded during broad daylight hours at St. Louise Catholic Church in Bellevue, is being investigated as a hate crime. […] A staff member at the church chased the suspect away, but he was spray-painted across his face in the process. When officers located the suspect, police said he used a backpack full of spray paint cans to smash the police vehicle before turning himself in.

Speaking to FOX 13, Father Gary Zender said that a small statue had also sustained damage during the alleged attack.

“When I try to look at the person and their wounds – that helps me to step back and say ‘I have some wounds too,’” Zender told the local news outlet. “So, there’s a human connection there, as well as a spiritual one.”

The damage penalty to the property could be calculated under the hate crime statute, according to Bellevue Police Captain Darryl McKinney.

“Obviously, there’s a lot going on in the world,” McKinney told FOX 13. “People are worked up about things. They’re upset – or, at least some people are – I think there are some emotions stirred up and we’re seeing people act how they normally wouldn’t.”

The suspect, who is said to have appeared “intoxicated” as police arrested him, was expected to be booked on “suspicion of felony assault and a hate crime,” Fox News said.

The violent incident is the latest in a string of attacks on pro-life organizations in the wake of the Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade, deciding that the Constitution does not include a right to abortion, thus returning the issue of abortion laws to state legislatures.