Congresswomen attacked in her apartment building

Post Reply New Topic

A Democratic member of the US House of Representatives fought off an attacker in her Washington DC apartment building by pouring coffee on him, police say.

Minnesota Representative Angie Craig was assaulted in a lift on Thursday morning by a man who may have been under the influence of substances.

The incident does not appear to be politically motivated, officials say.

It comes amid a high number of threats to US lawmakers. Last year, Congress approved funding for more security.
Congresswoman Craig, who represents a region of Minnesota, was attacked around 07:15 local time (12:15GMT) on Thursday, according to a statement released by her Chief of Staff Nick Coe.

She "defended herself from the attacker and suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically okay", the statement says, adding that she called 911 emergency services and the "assailant fled the scene".

The statement by Mr Coe adds that "there is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated".

According to a public incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department, Mrs Craig told investigators that there was a person acting erratically and possibly under the influence of drugs in the lobby of her apartment building.
When she boarded the lift, the person followed her inside and "began to randomly do push ups", says the report.
The person also allegedly punched Mrs Craig in the chin and grabbed her neck.

She reportedly defended herself by throwing hot coffee at the attacker.