RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Capitol Square was closed today following what the Virginia Department of General Services called an “incident of vandalism” — hours after another alleged act of vandalism in Lynchburg.
At 7:50 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, the Virginia Department of General Services tweeted that Capitol Square had been closed following an incident of vandalism in the area of the Bell Tower, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.
Governor Glenn Youngkin tweeted about the incident, saying; “There is no room for this in Virginia, breaking the law is unacceptable. This is not how we find common ground. Virginia State Police stands ready to support local law enforcement as they investigate.”
A pregnancy clinic in Lynchburg was also reportedly vandalized. At around 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, Lynchburg Police Officers responded to the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center at 3701 Old Forest Road for a report of property damage and vandalism. According to a Facebook post by the department, the responding officers found broken windows and graffiti with messages including “IF ABORTION AINT SAFE, YOU AINT SAFE!”
According to their Facebook page, Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center “exists to save lives and comfort those involved with unplanned pregnancies while furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Four people were seen on security camera footage committing the acts, according to police. Lynchburg Police are asking anyone with information related to this incident to call Crime Stoppers at 888-798-5900.
