A Washington man was arrested after throwing a 25-pound piece of railroad tie at an oncoming police cruiser, shattering the windshield and spraying two officers inside with glass, authorities said Monday.

The officers were patrolling an area of Bellingham around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday when they saw a man hunched over around a corner near Lincoln and Fraser Streets, the Bellingham Police Department said.

The man heaved the railroad tie into the air "in an arc aimed directly at the windshield of their car," police said. The object crashed through the windshield, showering glass into the vehicle.

The officers, while covered in glass shards, called for backup and approached the man, who refused to cooperate with their orders, police said. When other officers arrived, they took the man safely into custody.

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interior of police car with shattered windshield and a railroad tie

Police said the officers were covered with shards of glass after their patrol car's windshield exploded when it was struck by a 25-pound piece of railroad tie. (Bellingham Police Department)

The man, whose name was not immediately provided, has been contacted by police 26 times this year, with 15 arrests, the department said. He also had eight warrants for his arrest, for which he was booked.

While both officers escaped serious injury, police said they "spent a considerable amount of time getting glass shards out of every pocket and crevasse of their uniforms, off their skin, and out of their hair and mouths."

police cruiser and railroad tie

Police said neither officer was seriously injured and that the man who allegedly threw the railroad tie was safely taken into custody. (Bellingham Police Department)

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Police said the man did not know he was hurling the railroad tie at a police car.

"His behavior is a clear danger to the community, and we are lucky our officers (or anyone else) were not seriously hurt," police said.