Congressmember Violently Assaulted

(VitalNews.org) – Capitol Police pushed for more resources and additional physical security for Congress members in the wake of the devastating assault on Paul Pelosi on October 28, 2022. Yet, despite Congress enacting a program to increase residential personal security, an assailant violently assaulted a Congressmember in her Washington, DC, apartment building on Thursday morning, February 9.

Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) successfully fended off an attacker in the elevator of her DC apartment building by throwing scalding coffee at him after he allegedly punched her on the chin and grabbed her by the throat. Craig suffered bruising and minor injuries, according to Nick Coe, her chief of staff. In a statement, he said the Minnesota representative was “otherwise physically okay.”

Statement by Rep. Angie Craig's Chief of Staff: pic.twitter.com/YHXKJkuK42

— Angie Craig (@RepAngieCraig) February 9, 2023

According to a report filed with the DC Metropolitan Police Department (DCMPD) and cited by The Hill, Craig entered the lobby of her apartment building around 7:15 a.m. Thursday and observed a man in the lobby whom she greeted with “Good morning.” She noticed he was “acting erratic” and followed her onto the elevator she took to return to her apartment. Inside, he began randomly doing pushups before suddenly landing a punch on her chin and grabbing her neck. Craig responded by throwing her hot coffee at the attacker. He ran from the scene, and she called the police.

The US Capitol Police said they had “no indication” the attacker targeted Craig due to her Congressional position, CBS News reported.

Thursday evening media sources and the DCMPD announced it had identified and arrested a suspect in the attack.

MPD announces an arrest has been made in reference to a Simple Assault offense that occurred Thursday, February 9, 2023, in the 300 block of H Street, Northeast.

Thank you to all who assisted in making DC safer with this arrest!

Release: https://t.co/93l7psN3iS pic.twitter.com/ksV9gZAvSI

— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) February 10, 2023

Authorities charged the homeless man, Kendrick Hamlin, 26, with simple assault. Hamlin sometimes uses an alias, Hamlin Khalil Hamlin. Craig and her staff praised the DCMPD’s quick response time and thanked the department.

Several of Craig’s colleagues on both sides of the aisle expressed their shock and support, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN), Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY).