Thursday, Nov 14, 2024

Paul Pelosi's attacker had plans to target other 'prominent' politicians and their families, prosecutors allege


Nancy Pelosi gestures
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, speaks during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on August 12, 2022.
  • The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi told cops he had plans to target other politicans, court documents say.
  • Prosecutors allege that David DePape said he was "on a suicide mission" after he broke into the Pelosi's San Francisco home.
  • DePape faces both state and federal charges for the last week's attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The man accused of violently attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer during a break-in at the couple's San Francisco, California, home told cops that he planned to target other politicians and their families, according to a state court filing.

Prosecutors allege that David DePape, 42, told police that he was "on a suicide mission" after he broke into the townhouse in the early morning hours Friday and struck 82-year-old Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer, knocking him unconscious for three minutes.

"I'm sick of the insane fucking level of lies coming out of Washington, DC. I came here to have a little chat with his wife," DePape told officers and medics at the scene, according to the Tuesday filing.

DePape, who faces both federal and state charges for the incident, allegedly sought to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and told investigators that he wanted to break her kneecaps to send a message to other Democratic members of Congress.

"I didn't really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission. I'm not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life," DePape allegedly told police who responded to the home, according to the state court filing. "Hurting him was not my goal. I told him before I attacked him, that he's escalating things, and I will go through him if I have to."

When cops asked DePape whether he had other plans, prosecutors say he named several targets, "including a local professor, several prominent state and federal politicians, and relatives of those state and federal politicians," the state court document says.

It was not immediately clear who those other alleged targets were.

The attack on Paul Pelosi — which happened in front of police — left him hospitalized with a skull fracture and other injuries. Nancy Pelosi was in Washington, DC at the time of the incident.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins wrote in Tuesday's court filing that DePape's "intent could not have been clearer."

"He forced his way into the Pelosi home intending to take the person third in line to the presidency of the United States hostage and to seriously harm her," the court document says. "Thwarted by Speaker Pelosi's absence, Defendant continued on his quest and would not be stopped, culminating in the near fatal attack on Mr. Pelosi."

DePape "also described other persons who served as his targets," the filing says, adding, "But Defendant repeated, nothing would stop him."

"Defendant's self-proclaimed determination, execution, and other planned targets illustrates his danger to public safety," the court document said.

DePape, who has pleaded not guilty to the state charges filed against him, was ordered to remain in jail without bail at his Tuesday arraignment in San Francisco Superior Court.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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By: [email protected] (Natalie Musumeci)
Title: Paul Pelosi's attacker had plans to target other 'prominent' politicians and their families, prosecutors allege
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/paul-pelosi-attacker-planned-target-other-prominent-politicans-filing-2022-11
Published Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:26:58 +0000

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