Staff Members Attacked With Bat at Congressman’s Virginia Office

An individual armed with a baseball bat attacked two congressional workers members at a district workplace in Representative Gerald E. Connolly, the congressman mentioned in a press release.

Mr. Connolly, a Democrat, mentioned the person dedicated “an act of violence” at his Fairfax, Va., workplace towards two members of his workers, who had been taken to a hospital with non-life threatening accidents.

Sgt. Lisa Gardner, a spokeswoman for the Fairfax City Police, mentioned at a news convention on Monday afternoon that the assailant, a person who’s believed to be a constituent of Mr. Connolly’s, walked into the workplace round 10:30 a.m. with what gave the impression to be a metallic baseball bat and struck two workers members within the higher physique.

Sergeant Gardner mentioned {that a} motive was not instantly identified, and that expenses towards the suspect, whose identify was not instantly launched, could be forthcoming.

Both workers members had been aware when the police arrived about 5 minutes after a 911 name, she mentioned.

“You could absolutely tell that the people inside were scared, they were hiding,” she mentioned.

“It’s quite frankly scary that someone can walk up to an office with a baseball bat and just start swinging at innocent victims,” she added.

Mr. Connolly represents a swath of the Northern Virginia suburbs west of Washington, D.C. He was first elected to Congress in 2008. In a press release after the assault, he mentioned he has “the best team in Congress.”

“My district office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day,” Mr. Connolly mentioned within the assertion. “The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”

The assault comes amid an increase in threats and violent political speech towards members of Congress lately. In October, an intruder bludgeoned Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, inside their San Francisco residence after he shouted “Where is Nancy?”