Man Charged After Late-Night Break-In Destroys $240,000 in Chihuly Glass at Seattle Museum
A late-night break-in at Seattle’s Chihuly Garden and Glass left a dozen of Dale Chihuly’s luminous glass sculptures in pieces — and a suspect now faces multiple felony charges.
King County authorities have charged 40-year-old Alexander Taylor Weis with first degree burglary, second degree assault, and first degree malicious mischief following an incident that police say caused roughly $240,000 in damage at the museum, which sits in the same complex as the Space Needle. A King County judge reportedly set Weis’s bail at $100,000.
According to the Seattle Police Department, the vandalism occurred at approximately 11 p.m. Monday. A security guard patrolling the Chihuly Garden and Glass encountered an intruder actively smashing the artist’s botanically inspired glass works. Police said the guard attempted to subdue the suspect, but the intruder allegedly began throwing glass shards and then tried to stab the guard. The guard retreated and called police.
Officers arriving at the scene reported seeing shattered glass and organized into what the department described as a “contact team” to apprehend the suspect. The SPD said the suspect became combative and refused to follow commands before he was ultimately taken into custody.
By the end of the incident, authorities said 12 sculptures had been destroyed. Each was valued at $20,000, bringing the estimated loss to $240,000.
“Fortunately, no one was harmed, and the individual who caused the damage was taken into custody by the Seattle Police Department,” a spokesperson for the museum said in an email. “Chihuly Garden and Glass is currently open to the public and has resumed regular operating hours.”
The museum removed the damaged works by the following day, according to reports. It declined to identify which specific sculptures were destroyed, but indicated it is planning replacements. It remains unclear whether those replacements will take the form of replicas or new works by Chihuly.
Police said Weis has not posted bail and remains in custody. The judge also ordered him to have no contact with Chihuly Garden and Glass for the time being.
The incident underscores the particular vulnerability of glass — a medium prized for its radiance and fragility — in public-facing museum environments. For Chihuly Garden and Glass, which has exhibited the locally based artist’s work since opening in 2012, the immediate focus now turns to restoration planning and how the institution will rebuild a display designed around the presence of intact, light-catching forms.
