SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 29: House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband
Paul Pelosi was brutally attacked and severely injured at their home in San
Francisco by an intruder who came asking for Ms Pelosi early morning Friday.
He shouted, "Where is Nancy?”
Paul (82), a real estate and technology investor, who was badly battered around
his head and arms, leading to skull fractures and other injuries, by the assailant
wielding a hammer, was taken to hospital where he is said to be out of danger
after a surgery. Ms Pelosi, who was in Washington, flew back to the hospital
to see her husband.
The attacker, identified as David Depape, 42, was overpowered by the police
who arrived quickly after Paul managed to ring the 911 number as soon as the
attacker entered the house because he was asking for Ms Pelosi. Injured in police
action, he too has been hospitalised.
The police, who received the call at 02:27 local time (09:27 GMT) on Friday,
saw on arrival the two wrestling over a hammer and the attacker seizing it subsequently
and battering Paul with it.
The suspect had gained access to the four-bedroom house through a rear entry.
Some glass windows were smashed possibly during the attack.
As crimes are spiraling, many in Pacific Heights area neighbouring the affluent
Silicon Valley, hire private security to protect their homes at night.
Threats against lawmakers too have risen sharply in recent years. Happening
ahead of November 8 midterm elections, the incident has raised concerns over
rising political violence around the country. The federal Government sent a
warning of a "heightened threat" of domestic violent extremism against candidates
and election workers to law enforcement agencies across the country.
Earlier, in January last year, the Pelosis' house was vandalized with graffiti
and a pig’s head was left on the sidewalk.
Speaking at a political event in Pennsylvania, President Biden said, “There’s
too much violence. Political violence. Too much hatred. Too much vitriol. And
what makes us think that one party can talk about stolen elections, Covid being
a hoax, it’s all a bunch of lies, and it not affect people who may not be so
well balanced?”
According to the Capitol Police, in the five years since Trump was elected
in 2016, threats against members of Congress had increased more than tenfold
to 9,625 in 2021. Especially the attack on Capitol by Trump men was unprecedented
and amounted to an insurrection.
Nancy Pelosi
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, was elected to a fourth
term as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2021. She has represented
San Francisco in Congress since 1987. Her husband Paul Pelosi was born in San
Francisco and has his business here. They have five children. Ms Pelosi is second
in line to the presidency after Vice-President Kamala Harris.
