Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer at the couple’s home in San Francisco by a male assailant early Friday morning, law enforcement sources.
The assailant who attacked Paul Pelosi was searching for the speaker of the House, according to a source briefed on the attack.
The intruder confronted the speaker’s husband in their San Francisco home shouting, “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?” according to the source.
The man who assaulted Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tried to tie him up “until Nancy got home,” according to two sources familiar with the situation.
When the police arrived, the assailant was saying he was “waiting for Nancy.” Pelosi, 82, was hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery, the Democratic speaker’s office said in a statement.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told reporters that officers who responded to the Pelosi residence at 2:27a.m. encountered an adult male and Mr. Pelosi “both holding a hammer.”
The suspect, who police have identified as 42-year-old David Depape, “pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it.”
Who Attacked Paul Pelosi
“Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup, and rendered medical aid,” Scott said, adding both Depape and Pelosi were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
A source briefed on the attack told NPR the assailant was searching for Speaker Pelosi, and confronted her husband, shouting, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?”
Why suspect Attacked Paul Pelosi
A Friday morning statement from Speaker Pelosi’s office said Mr. Pelosi is “receiving excellent medical care and is expected to make a full recovery.”
Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency after the vice president, was not at home at the time of the break-in and attack.
The break-in at her residence raises serious questions about the security of the home of one of the most powerful lawmakers in the country.
The U.S. Capitol Police is assisting the FBI and the San Francisco Police with a joint investigation into the break-in.