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Homeless man, 26, is arrested for attacking Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, who was punched in the elevator of her Washington DC apartment before fighting the suspect by throwing coffee in his face.
- Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was punched in the face and grabbed around the neck
- Kendrick Hamlin, 26, was charged with simple assault by Washington DC police
Police have arrested a homeless man accused of assaulting Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, in the elevator of her apartment building.
Kendrick Hamlin was charged with simple assault after the gruesome attack on Craig, 50, around 7:15 a.m. Thursday, Washington, DC police said in a statement.
Hamlin, 26, was reportedly acting erratically while waiting for the elevator with the congresswoman in the lobby of her northeast DC building.
He then did push-ups in the elevator before proceeding to punch Craig in the face and grab his neck, according to the police report.
The congresswoman defended herself by throwing hot coffee in the attacker’s face and called 911 as her assailant fled.
The attacker did push-ups in the elevator before proceeding to punch Craig in the face and grab her by the neck. Pictured: Representative Angie Craig in front of the US Capitol, November 2018
Police arrested Kendrick Hamlin (pictured), a homeless man accused of assaulting Rep. Angie Craig.
Craig’s chief of staff, Nick Coe, said that he “suffered bruising but is otherwise physically fine”.
“There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated,” he said.
‘Rep. Craig thanks the DC Metropolitan Police Department for their quick response and asks for privacy at this time.
The 50-year-old congresswoman was elected to a third term in last year’s midterm elections.
The police report of the incident describes how he saw the suspect in the lobby of his building in the Mount Vernon Triangle area of the city, acting erratically, as if he were high.
‘[Craig] advised that at some point he said “good morning” to [Hamlin] then he got into the elevator to go to his apartment,’ the police report said.
‘[Craig] further states that [Hamlin] then, he got into the same elevator he was in and started randomly doing push-ups.
‘[Craig] I declare that [Hamlin] with a clenched fist he punched her in the chin area of her face and then grabbed her by the neck.
‘[Craig] defended himself by throwing the hot coffee at [Hamlin].’
The assailant fled before the police arrived at the scene, but has since been arrested.
Kendrick Hamlin was charged with simple assault after the gruesome attack on Craig, 50, around 7:15 a.m. Thursday, Washington, DC police said in a statement.
Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, was assaulted in the elevator of her Washington, DC apartment building Thursday morning.
His fellow Democrat and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he had spoken with Craig and told him he was fine.
Governor Walz tweeted: ‘Angie is tough as nails – she immediately went back to work and voted on the House floor. I’m glad I met her this morning and that she’s okay.