Staffers for US Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) were hospitalized on Monday after a man entered his district office and attacked two aides with a baseball bat.
The two staffers, whose names have not been disclosed, are currently in the hospital being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect is in police custody and has been identified as 49-year-old Xuan Kha Tran Pham.
Connolly praised the Fairfax Police Department’s quick response to the incident in a statement. The Congressman’s statement read: “The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”
The attacker, according to US media, was a constituent of Connolly, but the representative said he did not know the assailant. Connolly said in a later interview that one of the victims was a senior aide while the other was an intern on her first day on the job. Both were struck by the assailant in the head with a metal bat.
There was also damage in the office, including broken glass in a conference room. Several computers were also destroyed.
“He was filled with out-of-control rage,” Connolly said.
This latest attack follows a string of attacks against politicians or those close to them. In March, a staffer for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was stabbed in Washington D.C. In February, Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) was assaulted in an elevator, and in October of last year a man broke into Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) house and attacked her husband Paul.
While the attacks against Paul’s staffer and Craig are not thought to be politically motivated, these attacks coincide with a large number of threats of violence against lawmakers over the last few years.
“The safety of our members and of our staff remains of paramount importance, particularly given the increased instances of political violence in our country,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a statement.
Xuan Kha has been charged with one count each of aggravated malicious wounding and malicious wounding. The United States Capitol Police said the suspect’s motive is currently unknown.