DC Homeless Man Arrested for Attack on Rep. Angie Craig

HomeNewsDC Homeless Man Arrested for Attack on Rep. Angie Craig

A homeless man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig in the elevator of her apartment building.

Police in Washington, D.C., said in a statement that Kendrick Hamlin was charged with simple assault after the horrifying attack on Craig, 50, at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Thursday.

Hamlin, 26, was reportedly acting erratically as he and the congresswoman waited for the elevator in the lobby of her building in northeastern Washington, D.C.

According to the police report, he then performed push-ups in the elevator before punching Craig in the face and grabbing her by the neck.

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As her attacker fled, the congresswoman defended herself by throwing hot coffee in his face and calling 911.

The chief of staff for Craig, Nick Coe, stated that she “suffered bruising but is otherwise physically fine.”

He added, “There are no indications that the incident was politically motivated.”

Rep. Craig thanks the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. for their prompt response and requests for privacy at this time.

The 50-year-old congresswoman was re-elected for a third term in the midterm elections of 2016.

The police report describes how she observed the suspect acting erratically in the lobby of her building in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood of the city.

The police report stated, “[Craig] advised that she said “good morning” to [Hamlin] before entering the elevator to go to her apartment.”

‘According to [Craig], [Hamlin] then entered the same elevator she was in and began performing random push-ups.

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Craig stated that Hamlin punched her in the chin area of her face with a closed fist and then grabbed her by the neck.

Craig defended herself by throwing a cup of hot coffee at Hamlin.

The attacker fled the scene before police officers arrived, but has since been apprehended.

Tim Walz, a fellow Democrat and the governor of Minnesota, stated that he had spoken with Craig and that she was doing well.

Governor Walz tweeted, “Angie is as tough as a nail; she returned to work immediately and voted on the House floor.” I am pleased to have spoken with her this morning and to learn that she is doing well.

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