Five protesters who blocked Interstate-5 last month to protest the U.S.’s military support of Israel and the Israel-Hamas war face potential charges, the Washington State Patrol reports.
According to a WSP news release on Friday, those charges include second-degree criminal trespass, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct, and obstruction. They have been referred to the King County Prosecutor’s Office, which will ultimately decide whether to the aforementioned charges, WSP reports further.
On Saturday, Jan. 6, all north-bound lanes of I-5 freeway were closed in downtown Seattle for around five hours after dozens of protestors blocked traffic by stopping and abandoning 12 vehicles at the scene, according to the WSP. Local news outlets reported at the time that the WSP was unprepared for the size and scope of the protest.
Protestors allegedly cut a Washington Department of Transportation fence to get onto and occupy the freeway. They purportedly refused to leave, according to the WSP, and eight individuals bound themselves together at the scene.