The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) identified the suspect in the alleged baseball bat attack on staffers for Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) at his district office in Fairfax, Virginia, on Monday.
Xuan Kha Tran Pham, a 49-year-old man from Fairfax, Virginia, is the individual who has been arrested and charged in connection to the incident, the federal law enforcement agency said in a statement.
“At approximately 10:49 a.m. on Monday, May 15, a man entered Representative Connolly’s District Office. Two Congressional staffers were assaulted with a metal bat and received non-life threatening injuries. Congressman Connolly was not in the office at the time of the assaults,” the Capitol Police said.
“The Fairfax City Police Department responded and arrested the suspect. At this time, it is not clear what the suspect’s motivation may have been. Based on what we know right now, investigators do not have any information that the suspect was known to the USCP,” the statement added. “Special Agents with the United States Capitol Police Threat Assessment Section were dispatched to Fairfax, Virginia. The Department simultaneously coordinated with our partners at the Fairfax City Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office.”
Connolly announced earlier in the day that his two staffers had been transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The congressman said a man wielding a baseball bat attacked the staffers after asking for the congressman.
“Right now, our focus is on ensuring they are receiving the care they need. We are incredibly thankful to the City of Fairfax Police Department and emergency medical professionals for their quick response,” Connolly said in his statement.
“I have the best team in Congress. My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day,” the congressman said. “The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”
The suspect faces one count of Aggravated Malicious Wounding and one count of Malicious Wounding, the USCP said. An investigation by the USCP and the Fairfax City Police Department is ongoing.
As noted by the USCP in its press release, last month Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger testified about the challenge of contending with a roughly 400% increase in threats against members of Congress over the past six years.
“Over the course of the last year, the world has continuously changed, becoming more violent and uncertain,” Manger added.