Overview
- King County filed 33 counts of first-degree criminal trespass on Tuesday, more than 300 days after the May 2025 occupation of the University of Washington’s Interdisciplinary Engineering Building.
- UW police told prosecutors they found no eyewitness or surveillance footage linking the arrestees to the property destruction and reported no incriminating evidence from seized devices.
- Prosecutors said felony burglary or malicious-mischief charges were not viable without proof, noting they would have pursued them if the evidence existed.
- UW spokesperson Victor Balta said 23 of those charged are students who already served three quarters of suspension, and the misdemeanor cases will not affect their academic return.
- Police reports describe a coordinated takeover with barricaded doors, two dumpster fires that delayed police entry, and occupiers in black bloc-style protective gear displaying pro-Palestinian symbols.