Officials said that a man who assaulted Rep. Angie Craig in an elevator in Washington, D.C., in February, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court.
Kendrid Hamlin (26), pleaded guilty on two counts to assaulting a police officer and one count to assaulting a member for Congress in an elevator at her apartment complex, according to prosecutors.
Craig, D. Minn., suffered bruising, but was not injured in the attack on Feb. 9, her representative stated at the time.
According to court documents, Craig said hello to Hamlin who was standing in the lobby of a building on that day, but he then followed her into an elevator.
Capitol Police stated in an affidavit that Hamlin had allegedly asked Craig to let him use the bathroom at his apartment, but Craig refused.
The affidavit stated that Hamlin “became agitated” and when Craig attempted to pass him, he punched Hamlin in the face, grabbed her by her collarbone, and kept her away from the buttons of the elevator. Craig then threw Hamlin’s hot coffee at him, and fled.
Hamlin, who was recognized by the police from a description in court documents, was arrested on that evening.
Hamlin’s federal Public Defender, Katie D’Adamo Guevara said that Hamlin had accepted responsibility for his acts and wanted and needed mental health treatment.
She said, “Unfortunately we know that meaningful rehabilitation and treatment will not take place in prison.”
Hamlin’s public defenders wrote in court documents that Hamlin was experiencing homelessness, untreated mental illness, and that the cold was the reason he spent the day in the lobby.
Craig reported to NBC affiliate KARE in Minneapolis that she had been violently attacked at the time.
“I didn’t have time to be afraid.” “I knew that there was no way that he would come to my apartment,” she said.
Hamlin didn’t know Craig was a Congressman, according to his lawyer, and Capitol Police said that there were no indications she was targeted due to her position.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia stated in a press release that assaulting a member of Congress carries a sentence of up to 10 years, while assaulting a law enforcement official is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months.
