Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) was assaulted inside her Washington, D.C., apartment building on Thursday morning in an incident that her office says was not politically motivated.
Craig was physically assaulted inside an elevator as she was leaving her apartment building around 7:15 a.m. on Thursday, the Minnesota Democrat’s office said. Craig reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police Department, leading to the arrest of 26-year-old Kendrick Hamlin later that evening.
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The Minnesota congresswoman reported seeing the suspect inside the lobby of her apartment building before the attack, but the man was “acting erratic,” as if he was under the influence of some substance, according to the MPD. The Minnesota Democrat greeted the man as she walked toward the elevator, and the man followed her inside.
Once inside, the suspect “began to randomly do pushups,” the police report stated. The suspect then allegedly punched Craig in the face and grabbed her neck.
Craig then threw her cup of hot coffee at her attacker before escaping the elevator. Craig sustained some “bruising, but is otherwise physically okay,” Craig’s office said in a statement. “There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated.”
Hamlin fled the scene before officials arrived but was later arrested on Thursday evening. He faces one charge of simple assault.
The attack comes as law enforcement officials have warned of a rise in violence toward members of Congress, with the U.S. Capitol Police recording more than 9,000 threats against lawmakers in 2022.
“I cannot overstate the scope, breadth, and intensity of the nation’s current threat climate,” Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger told the Senate in December. “Hate, intolerance, and violence are part of this disturbing trend.”
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Craig’s attack follows a series of high-profile assaults against lawmakers last year, including an instance in which Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) was attacked onstage during a campaign event in July. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) husband was also violently attacked last year inside the couple’s personal residence in California, prompting Manger to call for increased security measures for lawmakers.
“The attacks on Rep. Lee Zeldin and Paul Pelosi, as well as the threats directed towards other members of Congress, are a sad reminder of the extent to which our social fabric has frayed,” he said.
Democratic leaders responded to the attack on Thursday, noting they would work with the House sergeant-at-arms and Capitol Police to ensure safety measures for Craig and her family at their Washington, D.C., and Minnesota homes.
“The House Democratic Caucus family is horrified by the violent attack on Rep. Angie Craig in her own apartment building early this morning,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a statement. “We are all very grateful that she is safe and recovering, but appalled that this terrifying assault took place. Thank you to the members of law enforcement who were able to quickly arrive on the scene.”
