Vandalism hits National Mall with pool damage, blood message
What's new: Interior officials linked multiple incidents since June 9, including "8647" markings and cuts to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Federal officials warned of a rising pattern of vandalism at the National Mall after a series of incidents that damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and defaced other landmarks. The Interior Department said the first known attack on the Reflecting Pool happened June 9, the day it reopened after restoration and repainting. Officials later saw repeated cases, including what they described as razor-blade cuts to the pool coating and removed fencing. The department also cited multiple "8647" markings on the Mall and a separate case in which a person wrote "I've come" in blood on the Washington Monument. Interior spokesperson Katie Martin said officials initially kept the June 9 case quiet because they believed it was isolated and wanted to avoid copycats.