Tacoma woman accused of torching five police vehicles during Seattle protest

SEATTLE -- A Tacoma woman was arrested Thursday and charged with setting fire to five Seattle police vehicles during a downtown Seattle protest two weekends ago, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Margaret Channon, 25, is accused of of burning police vehicles parked near Sixth Avenue and Pine Street on May 30, the statement said. She was arrested without incident at her Tacoma home.

She is charged by criminal complaint with five counts of arson.

"This defendant was captured by multiple cameras using an accelerant, lit like a blowtorch, to start fires in five vehicles -- putting the public at risk and creating the very real possibility of a structure fire amidst the throng of people protesting downtown," Brian T. Moran, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, said in the statement.

The five vehicles were a 2018 Ford Transit Connect van, a 2006 Dodge Caravan, a 2009 Chevrolet Express van, a 2016 Ford Explorer and a 2017 Ford Explorer, according to the criminal complaint. Channon used an aerosol can and flame to ignite the five vehicles, the complaint alleges.

According to the complaint, investigators reviewed various videos taken of the arson, as well as videos taken at a protest the night before.

Channon appears in videos from both days, and tattoos on her hands and arms are clearly visible, the statement said. Investigators found a number of her social media accounts, which helped confirm her identity, the statement said.

Channon is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle at 1 p.m. Friday, according to a Seattle police statement.