Homeless man gets 27 months in prison for punching Democratic Rep. Angie Craig in the elevator of her D.C. apartment
- Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 27, was sentenced to 27 months in prison
- He pleaded guilty to punching Democratic Rep. in the face. Angie Craig
The 27-year-old homeless man who defeated Democratic Rep. earlier this year Angie Craig was sentenced to more than two years in prison.
Kendrid Khalil Hamlin was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to punching the Minnesota congresswoman in the elevator of her Washington, D.C., apartment building on February 9, 2023.
Police arrested Hamlin for assaulting Rep. Craig, 51, earlier this year after he told her he planned to use the apartment’s restroom.
When she refused to let him use the facilities, Hamlin punched her in the face, grabbed her by the neck and prevented her from reaching the elevator keypad.
Craig threw a cup of hot coffee in the man’s face, allowing her to escape.
Homeless Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 27, was sentenced Thursday to 27 months in prison after pleading guilty to punching Democratic Rep. in the face. Angie Craig earlier this year
Kendrick Hamlin (pictured) is the homeless man accused of attacking Rep. Angie Craig. He is sentenced to more than two years in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release for an assault on a member of Congress and two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer when they arrested him for the attack.
Shortly after the incident, Craig’s chief of staff, Nick Coe, said she “had bruises but was otherwise physically fine.”
“There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated,” he added.
‘Representative. Craig is grateful to the DC Metropolitan Police Department for their quick response and requests privacy at this time.”
The attack happened in D.C.’s Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood around 7:15 p.m. on a Wednesday, according to a police statement on the incident.
It also notes that Hamlin, who was 26 at the time, allegedly acted erratically while waiting by the elevator with the congresswoman in the lobby of her building before asking to use the restroom and attacking when she refused.
Hamlin did push-ups in the elevator before punching Craig and grabbing her by the neck, the police report said. She defended herself with a hot cup of coffee and called 911 as the attacker fled the building.
He was later located and taken into custody — but not before he “also assaulted the officers,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg sentenced Hamlin to 27 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release for assault on a member of Congress, in addition to two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer.
The police report from the first incident notes that Craig detailed that “she said ‘good morning’ to (Hamlin) and then entered the elevator to go to her apartment.”
“(Craig) further states that (Hamlin) then entered the same elevator she was in and started randomly doing push-ups,” the report continued. “(Craig) stated that (Hamlin) punched her in the chin of the face with a closed fist and later grabbed her neck.”
Rep. Craig noted that the attacker acted as if he were on drugs.