In Washington, Two people briefed on the event tell NBC News that the suspect who attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband brutally early Friday morning was looking for her.
The individuals, one of whom is a senior U.S. official, claimed that the intruder approached Paul Pelosi, 82, before the attack and yelled, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?”
In a statement released early Friday, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott identified the suspect as 42-year-old David DePape.
Just before 2:30 a.m. P.T., according to Scott, police were called to the Pelosis’ residence and found “Mr. Pelosi and the suspect both brandishing a hammer. The suspect viciously attacked Mr. Pelosi with the hammer after he yanked it away from him.”
Our officers promptly tackled the suspect, who also disarmed him, took him into custody, called for backup in case of an emergency, and provided first assistance, Scott continued.
He stated that “the motivation for this attack is still being investigated” and that the inquiry is still ongoing.
Scott said that the attack on Paul Pelosi was “deliberate” and not accidental during a news conference on Friday evening.
“Our elected officials are here to conduct business on behalf of their respective counties, states, cities, and countries. Scott added that their family doesn’t consent to this to have their lives ruined. “And it is incorrect. And the events of this morning ought to offend everyone.
According to Speaker Pelosi’s office, Paul Pelosi was transferred to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where he “underwent successful surgery to heal a skull fracture and major injuries to his right arm and hands.” According to Pelosi’s office, his doctors anticipate that he will fully recover.
According to Scott, DePape was also transferred to a nearby hospital. Police refused to provide information about his health.
Scott stated earlier in the day that DePape would be arrested at the San Francisco County Jail on the accusations of attempted homicide assault, elder abuse, burglary, and several other felonies.
A family member accompanying the speaker to San Francisco said that the suspect brought a hammer and damaged the windows of the Pelosi residence facing the rear. Once inside, the suspect, according to the family member, was attempting to tie up Paul Pelosi and declared they would wait “until Nancy arrived home.” Paul dialed 911 while the suspect wasn’t looking. Paul was reportedly home alone when he sustained multiple blows to the head from a hammer. The suspect said, “We are waiting for Nancy,” as the cops came.
The suspect appears to have run a website where he posted a wide range of articles covering practically every type of contemporary conspiracy theory, including those about aliens, Jews, communism, vaccines, voter fraud, and many other subjects.
According to two law enforcement officials, a preliminary examination of DePape’s internet activity revealed recent blog entries that advocated views generally associated with far-right extremism and certain leftist anti-establishment viewpoints.
In a statement earlier on Friday, Pelosi’s office made known the attack for the first time.
At the time, Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill said, “Early this morning, an intruder stormed into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi.”
According to her office, the House speaker was not in San Francisco at the time of the attack. She was in Washington, D.C., with her security detail at the time of the break-in, according to a separate statement from the U.S. Capitol Police.
A security detail was not present for Paul Pelosi. Top legislators’ spouses are not allowed one.
In a joint investigation into the home invasion, Capitol Police said it supports the FBI and the San Francisco Police Department. On Friday morning, FBI officers were at the Pelosi residence.
President Joe Biden called the speaker early on Friday to “offer his support,” according to a statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “Additionally, he is quite happy that a full recovery is anticipated. The president reiterates his opposition to all forms of violence and requests that the family’s request for privacy is honored.”
After discovering that the attacker had repeated the “Where’s Nancy?” slogan heard during the attack on the Capitol, the president denounced the attack and drew comparisons to the January 6 riot during a fundraiser for Pennsylvania Democrats on Friday night.
Whatever their political views, “every person of decent conscience needs to openly and unmistakably stand up against the violence in our politics,” said Biden.
The House speaker was also spoken to by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who said in a statement that he expressed his “deepest concern and best wishes to her husband and their family.”
The reports that Paul Pelosi was beaten in his and Speaker Pelosi’s home yesterday night appalled and disgusted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
“Leader McCarthy called out to the Speaker to check in on Paul and said he’s praying for a full recovery and is glad they caught the offender,” according to a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
“The Speaker and her family are thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers from friends, constituents, and people around the country,” Hammill said. The whole medical staff who treated Mr. Pelosi and the law enforcement personnel who reacted to the assault are both greatly appreciated by the Pelosi family.
Although the reason for the break-in and assault remains unknown, national authorities have warned about the possibility of political violence, particularly with the midterm elections less than two weeks away.
Rep. Nikema Williams, a Democrat from Georgia who covers the Atlanta region, and other lawmakers responded to the incident. Despite the claimed attacker having no known motivation, she immediately connected the former president Donald Trump and the MAGA rhetoric.
“As elected officials, our responsibility is to protect our safety and security in our nation. Because we had a president in office who persisted in promoting the idea that he was the victim of electoral fraud and further dividing our country, “She spoke with NBC News. “The violence against our elected officials that we witness in our neighborhoods results from this violence and the abuse from Republican Party members.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., claimed that in the second incident in August, a guy called his office and repeatedly uttered homophobic epithets while threatening to shoot and kill the congressman. Bloodshed is coming, Swalwell tweeted at the time, referencing threats against his office.
Joshua Hall, the man, admitted to threatening to kill a member of the U.S. Congress. Hall said in court that he was intoxicated when the threat was made. He had previously admitted to committing fraud after pretending to be Donald Trump’s family to defraud supporters of thousands of dollars.
The House Select Committee looking into the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, recently showed previously unreleased video evidence from the incident, in which Trump supporters could be heard asking questions about Pelosi’s whereabouts.
The homes of then-Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Pelosi were vandalized in January 2021, just a few days before the attack on the Capitol on January 6. There were words like “$2K,” “Cancel rent!” and “We want everything” scrawled on Pelosi’s garage door. The incident happened soon after a motion to increase coronavirus stimulus payments to $2,000 was rejected by Congress.