No felony charges for Antifa militants who caused $1M in damage at UW

Instead, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed 33 counts of Criminal Trespass in the First Degree, a gross misdemeanor, on Tuesday, more than 300 days after the May 2025 takeover. The charges stem from the occupation of the newly opened engineering building, where agitators broke into the facility, spray-painted the interior, and damaged new equipment before police removed dozens of people from the building.

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Documents obtained by the Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI revealed that University of Washington police investigators told prosecutors there was insufficient evidence to support felony charges such as burglary or malicious mischief. According to investigators, no eyewitnesses or surveillance footage captured the property destruction, and a forensic review of seized electronic devices, including hard drives, a thumb drive, and a digital camera, found no evidence tying the suspects to the damage. The cases were resubmitted to prosecutors for misdemeanor consideration in late January 2026.

Police records say the building takeover was organized by agitators tied to Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER UW), a now-suspended anti-Israel student group that claimed responsibility for the occupation to protest the university’s relationship with Boeing because the company does business with the Jewish state and produces military equipment. The group has been caught on video handing out Hamas propaganda on campus.

Investigators describe a coordinated takeover of the engineering building shortly after it closed for the day. Agitators dressed in “Black Bloc,” the traditional uniform associated with Antifa militants, consisting of all-black clothing, face coverings, helmets, and gas masks, entered through a propped-open door while vehicles arrived carrying plywood, metal barricades, and other supplies.

Inside, agitators barricaded exits with furniture and glued at least one door shut, trapping a university employee inside the building. According to police, engineering employee Curtis Takahashi discovered the main entrance blocked by piled furniture and later found another exit sealed shut. He eventually encountered agitators on the second floor, who seemed surprised he was still in the building, apologized, and escorted him out.

Investigators say about 75 agitators gathered in and around the building as police issued warnings over loudspeakers that the facility was closed. Attempts by university officials to negotiate with the group were unsuccessful. Later that evening, officers issued dispersal orders using a Long Range Acoustic Device. Shortly before police moved in, agitators set two dumpsters on fire outside the building, delaying the response while firefighters extinguished the flames.

Police eventually entered the building around 11 pm, encountering agitators wearing protective gear and carrying makeshift shields. Officers arrested the agitators, many of whom refused to identify themselves and invoked their right to remain silent during processing.

Charging documents say the following individuals were arrested inside the building and now face gross misdemeanor charges: Tayler Hart, Max Rulff, Zachary Wallaced-Wells, Jade Wu, Jessica Schutz, Luisa Ortega Subdiaz, Ginger Newberry, Kimaya Mahajan, Gina Liu, Lea Keating, Akira Junyaprusert, Anna Hattle, Julia Fraczek, Cade Jackson, Jonas Piper, Ty Park, Lucy Zern, Tasbeet Iman, Ricardo Colon-Galvez, Roberta Collison, Ella Tunduwani, Zainab Chattha, Riley Centerwall, Catherine Brown, Brett Anton, Claire Berger, Yasmin Ahmed, Yafate Yared, Geneveve Konijisky, Finn Brown, Bailey Keen, Lucas Nichols-Mcauslan and Sam Sueoka.

UW police Lt. Anthony Stewart wrote to prosecutors and university officials that investigators believe two separate groups were involved in the incident. According to Stewart’s working theory, one group carried out the property destruction and left the building before police arrived, while a second group, primarily individuals affiliated with the university, remained inside as occupiers. “I believe the overarching strategy was to have the second group occupy the building, leveraging their institutional ties to reduce the likelihood of an aggressive police response and to prompt prolonged negotiations with the administration,” Stewart wrote.

Investigators recovered a few tools from those arrested. Stewart noted no hammers or pry bars were found, and a rock submitted for fingerprint analysis yielded no usable prints. Officers also reported that many of the occupiers they encountered were wearing gloves.

UW spokesperson Victor Balta said 23 of the individuals charged were students who already faced discipline through the university’s student conduct process. “The students have served three quarters of suspension as a result of their involvement in this incident,” Balta said in a statement. “Misdemeanor proceedings stemming from it would not further impact their academic progress at the UW.” Balta added that the university supports the filing of criminal charges. “We are pleased to see criminal charges filed with the court related to the occupation of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building,” he said. “This is an important step in ensuring accountability for those who perpetrated this occupation, in addition to the suspensions that the students arrested in the building received through the student conduct process.”

The episode has been part of a broader wave of activism at UW, including protests, building occupations, encampments, and violent campus demonstrations connected to anti-Israel activism. The university also remains one of 60 schools under investigation by the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over potential Title VI violations related to antisemitic harassment of students and faculty.