A vandal splashed red paint and a profane message along the side of the Washington Monument on the National Mall on Tuesday night.
Katie Barlow, a reporter for Washington, D.C.’s WTTG-TV, shared a photo on Twitter showing an individual with red paint, and a second image of the individual being detained by authorities.
“Have you been f***ed by this?” the message on the monument read, with an arrow pointing upward. The message continues on, but it’s unclear what it says based on the poor handwriting.
The words appeared next to a large smear of paint.
Barlow reported that law enforcement blocked off the grass area surrounding the monument.
The Washington Monument was finished in 1884, and it was the tallest building in the world when it was completed, according to the National Parks Service.
Several monuments in the National Mall were vandalized in the 2020 riots, according to CNN.