Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was beaten to death Thursday morning at the Washington, DC, apartment building where she resides.
Craig suffered bruises, but managed to defend himself in such a way that he avoided major consequences.
The attack did not appear to be politically motivated, his chief of staff said.
Craig was struck in the elevator around 7:15 am on Thursday the 9th, she immediately called 911 and the attacker fled, Nick Coe said in a statement.
"Representative Craig defended herself from the attacker and suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically fine," he added. "There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated."
According to a DC Metropolitan Police report, the legislator told police she could see the man in the lobby area of the apartment building, acting erratically, and that the man followed her to the elevator after she He said "Good morning".
Once inside, she said the man started doing push-ups and then began attacking her, hitting her on the chin with his fist and grabbing her by the neck.
The report reveals that the representative defended herself by throwing her hot coffee at him.
The attacker fled before the police arrived.
The Metropolitan Police later released photos of the suspect taken from a surveillance camera.
This attack followed an assault on the husband of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at their San Francisco home in October by a man who told police his motive was political and his goal she was the Democratic leader.
Members of Congress have faced a sharp increase in threats since the January 6, 2021 insurrection on Capitol Hill. Capitol Police investigated nearly 10,000 threats to lawmakers last year, more than double the number four years earlier.
Craig won a third term in November in the 2nd District south of Minneapolis and St. Paul in one of the costliest House races in the country, dashing the GOP's best hope of winning a Minnesota seat. in an election that gave Republicans a narrow majority in the House.
Coe said Craig said she was grateful "for the quick response" from the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department and that she has asked for privacy.
