WASHINGTON (AP) — The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband went upstairs into the bedroom where Paul Pelosi had been sleeping, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office tells NewsNation.
San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Communications Director Randy Quezada reports that Pelosi and his suspected attacker did not know each other before the incident.
The suspect, identified by police as 42-year-old David DePape, carried zip ties with him when he broke into the couple’s San Francisco home, a person briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Sunday. Quezada could not immediately verify that information.
The attack on Democratic leader’s 82-year-old husband, Paul Pelosi, happened less than two weeks before the Nov. 8 election that will determine control of Congress. It served as a jarring reminder of the nation’s toxic political climate.
Police said DePape confronted Paul Pelosi in the family’s Pacific Heights home early Friday, and as The Associated Press has reported, demanded to know, “Where is Nancy?”
The two men struggled over a hammer before officers responding to a 911 call to the home saw DePape strike Paul Pelosi at least once, police said. DePape is expected to be arraigned early in the coming week on charges that include attempted murder.
Rioters who swarmed the Capitol trying to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory over Donald Trump roamed the halls and shouted loud calls demanding “Where’s Nancy?” Some in the siege were seen inside the Capitol carrying zip ties.
The violent attack on a congressional leader’s family comes as threats to lawmakers and other political officials are at all-time highs.
Nancy Pelosi was in Washington when her husband was attacked. She soon returned to San Francisco, where he husband was hospitalized. He had surgery for a skull fracture and suffered other injuries to his arms and hands, her office said.
“Our children, our grandchildren and I are heartbroken and traumatized by the life-threatening attack on our Pop,” she said in a letter late Saturday to colleagues. “We are grateful for the quick response of law enforcement and emergency services, and for the life-saving medical care he is receiving.”
Paul Pelosi remains hospitalized and “continues to improve,” she told colleagues.
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