WASHINGTON – A person with a baseball bat entered the district office of Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., Monday morning and attacked two members of his staff, the congressman said in a statement.
“This morning an individual entered my district office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff. The individual is in police custody and both members of my team were transferred to the hospital with non- life-threatening injuries,” Connolly said.
He said his focus is on making sure his employees get the care they need. It is unclear which members of Connolly’s staff were injured or where the congressman was when the attack occurred.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Fairfax police and emergency responders for their quick response,” he said.
“I have the best team in Congress,” Connolly added. “My district office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day. The idea that someone would take advantage of the availability of my staff to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”
Connolly, 73, represents Virginia’s 11th congressional district and has served in the House since 2009. His district office is in Fairfax, Virginia, which is less than 15 miles from downtown Washington.
Neither the congressman nor police provided further details about the suspect, what happened during the attack or any possible motive.
“Intimidation and violence – especially against public servants – have no place in our society,” tweeted Late. Mark Warner, D-Va. “This is an extraordinarily disturbing development and my thoughts go out to the staff who were injured.”
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents another district in northern Virginia, tweeted“This is very very scary. Sending my best wishes to @GerryConnolly and his team, hoping for a speedy recovery for his staff who were injured in this violent attack. My thanks to the authorities working to keep everyone safe .”
Members of Congress have expressed concerns about the security of their offices or their homes, especially since the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Last October, a man wielding a hammer attacked the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Paul Pelosi, at their home in San Francisco.
In 2017, several people were shot by a man as a group of Republican lawmakers practiced for a congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia. Then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., was among those shot and had to undergo surgery and physical therapy.
This is a development story. Please check back for updates.
