Tacoma Police arrest woman for vandalizing apartment fire standpipe, causing $2M in water damage
TACOMA, Wash. - Police in Tacoma arrested a woman for committing an act of vandalism that displaced nearly half of an apartment building on Thursday.
According to the Tacoma Police Department (TPD), the 42-year-old suspect vandalized a fire standpipe in the apartment stairway, which caused about $2 million dollars’ worth in water damage.
Example of a fire standpipe (Photo courtesy Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons)
Fire standpipe systems are typically installed in multi-story buildings to help firefighters quickly attach a water hose in the event of a fire.
Authorities say the apartment building, located near the corner of S G St. and S 19th St., mainly houses elderly and disabled tenants. There are 64 total units in the building, and tenants in 32 of them have been displaced.
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On Friday, TPD officers arrested and booked the suspect for first-degree malicious mischief.