<p>COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man broke into the Ohio Statehouse overnight, used a fire extinguisher to spray chemicals on the historic building’s Rotunda floor, and then called 911 seeking medical help, according to the State Highway Patrol.</p>
<p>Columbus police responding to the call Monday found the man outside on the west lawn of the downtown building near the monument to former Ohio governor and president William McKinley.</p>
<p>The man appeared to be under the influence of drugs, said Lt. Craig Cvetan, a patrol spokesman.</p>
<p>“During a subsequent interview, the man indicated he was attempting to get medical assistance for a reaction related to his use of illegal narcotics,” Cvetan said. The man is being treated at a downtown hospital.</p>
<p>The man broke a window to get inside, broke a second window once inside the building, and broke a third to escape, Cvetan said. Statehouse maintenance workers were cleaning up the mess Monday, <a href="https://www.toledoblade.com/local/politics/2021/04/12/Ohio-Statehouse-rotunda-vandalized-windows-broken/stories/20210412091/">The Blade reported.</a></p>
<p>In June, the exterior of the Statehouse was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/c9f1534613fd1f749400e4be31d6422f">defaced with red hand prints</a> and the phrase “hands up, don’t shoot” in protest of police brutality. </p>
<p>In late May, people protesting the death of George Floyd <a href="https://apnews.com/article/a988344637cf0145000f61a0a55abf77">smashed 28 Statehouse windows</a>; damaged doors, light poles and flags; and dumped several garbage cans. One person briefly entered an office through a broken window but retreated before troopers within the building could catch him.</p>
