By Jessica Russak-Hoffman, JNS
Police charged the man with three counts of malicious mischief after a witness provided photos and videos allegedly showing him vandalizing multiple cars.
A Seattle man is under investigation for allegedly carving swastikas and antisemitic messages into several vehicles in downtown Seattle, including references to Anne Frank.
Jesse Lee Alkire was arrested on May 23 after Seattle police responded to reports of a man urinating on Tesla vehicles. According to the Seattle Police Department, a witness provided officers with photos and videos showing Alkire allegedly scratching "offensive language and symbols" into multiple vehicles.
In one image, Alkire allegedly carved the word "Nazi," a swastika and the name "Anne Frank" into a vehicle, police said.
Officers later located and arrested Alkire. He was charged with three counts of malicious mischief.
Asked about the antisemitic vandalism, a spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson told JNS on Thursday that "Seattle is a welcoming city and we believe everyone should be able to feel safe while living in or visiting here."
In a separate incident on May 19, Seattle police responded to a report of a Subaru damaged with "an inscription of a swastika on the rear right passenger side panel."
"The victim’s vehicle was parked in the alley behind her townhouse," police told JNS. "The victim did not see any suspects, tools left behind or any indication of who could have vandalized her vehicle."
Police said the victim had not received threats and that there were no surveillance cameras in the area that could have captured the incident.
No arrests have been made in the May 19 vandalism case.
