WASHINGTON — A person with a baseball bat entered the district office of Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., on 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 ensuring his staff members receive the care they need. It’s unclear which members of Connolly’s staff were injured or where the congressman was when the attack occurred.
“We are incredibly thankful to the City of Fairfax Police Department and emergency medical professionals 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 thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility 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 the police provided additional details about the suspect, what transpired during the attack or any possible motive.
“Intimidation and violence — especially against public servants — has no place in our society,” tweeted Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. “This is an extraordinarily disturbing development, and my thoughts are with the staff members 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, with hopes for swift recoveries of his staffers who were injured in this violent attack. My thanks to the authorities working to keep everyone safe.”
Members of Congress have expressed concern about security at their offices or at their homes, especially since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Last October, a man with 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 were practicing 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 developing story. Please check back for updates.
