AUSTIN, Texas — An act of vandalism near the Texas Capitol may have been a politically motivated, targeted attack. That's according to CLEAT, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.
CLEAT executive director Charley Wilkison's car was smashed with a large piece of concrete outside of the CLEAT office on Tuesday evening while he was still inside the building.
The incident, caught on a NEST camera from across the street, shows a person wearing what appears to be a hood walking from the alleyway into the CLEAT parking lot.
The person appears to look under several cars, possibly trying to read the parking curbs, which are each labeled.
Once the person passes the marked curb for Wilkison's car, they walk over to the grass, drop their backpack, pick up a large piece of concrete and walk back over to Wilkison's car, throwing the concrete into his back car window.
The noise is so loud it's captured on the NEST camera from across the street.
The person then walks back to the backpack, picks it up and quickly walks off on the sidewalk down the street.
"The only arguments or debates that we've had over anything that is emotional or serious would be the bills that were in the Legislature," explained Chris Jones, a lobbyist for CLEAT.
Since the incident happened just one day after the end of the 86th Texas Legislative Session, Jones believes it was likely a politically motivated attack. CLEAT lobbied against several bills that dealt with law enforcement, like SB 815 and SB 944.
Jones calls the supporters of the bills "hate groups, or anti-police groups who have a narrative that we believe is totally incorrect."
"One of the advocates for that group, during the middle of the session, basically cussed out our executive director, so the fact those pieces of legislation were defeated, and this coming a few days later, to us it looked like he targeted this vehicle," said Jones.
While it can't say for sure what caused the vandal to act as they did, CLEAT filed a report and gave the video to the Austin Police Department.
APD is asking anyone with tips to call the District 1 detectives at (512) 974-5777.
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