Virginia congressman says person with baseball bat attacked staffers
Washington — Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly said a person armed with a baseball bat attacked members of his staff at his district office in Fairfax, Virginia, on Monday morning.
“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 Virginia congressman said in a news release.
The person is in police custody and the two staff members were brought to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to Connelly.
“Right now, our focus is on ensuring they are receiving the care they need,” he said, also thanking first responders for their quick response. “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.”
Last year, the U.S. Capitol Police investigated about 7,500 cases of potential threats against members of Congress. It was a slight decrease from 2021, when there were 9,600 case, but the number of cases in 2021 doubled from four years earlier.
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