Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who was allegedly assaulted last week at her Capitol Hill apartment building, is now calling for changes related to how repeat offenders are prosecuted in the District of Columbia.
During an appearance on “CBS Mornings” that aired on Feb. 14, Craig claimed that the suspect, Kendrick Hamlin, assaulted at least a dozen people before he went on to attack her inside an elevator at her apartment building around 7:15 a.m. on Feb. 9.
“I was assault No. 13 on his record,” Craig told the network. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure there’s not a 14, a 15, a 20.”
The 50-year-old lawmaker, who is currently serving her third term as a House member, denounced the district’s handling of prior cases and claimed Hamlin was only sentenced to “10 days or 30 days” for violent crime.
“I mean, it wasn’t even in every instance that he got 10 days or 30 days. Many times, the charges were completely dropped before any justice was achieved at all,” Craig said.
Hamlin, a 26-year-old homeless man also known as Hamlin Khalil Hamlin, was arrested by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s First District on the same day the attack occurred, according to a statement.
Suspect Was ‘Acting Erratic’
Craig recalled in the interview that Hamlin approached and assaulted her before she managed to flee by defending herself and throwing a hot cup of coffee at the suspect.
“All I could do was throw my coffee over my shoulder, which startled him,” she said. “But as soon as he regained, he came back toward me, and again, it was only until we got to the floor the elevator was headed to that I was able to escape.”
The congresswoman suffered bruising, but was “otherwise physically OK,” her office said, adding that there was no evidence to suggest the attack was politically motivated.
Statement by Rep. Angie Craig’s Chief of Staff: pic.twitter.com/YHXKJkuK42
— Angie Craig (@RepAngieCraig) February 9, 2023
According to a public incident report, Hamlin was “acting erratic as if he was under the influence [of] an unknown substance” before entering the elevator.
Following the incident, Craig has vowed to support legislation for tougher penalties to make sure that “we’re not just letting criminals out.”
“We have to get these repeat offenders off the streets,” Craig said. “We also have got to figure out how we get people the mental health and addiction help that they need, because these people are getting back out and just recommitting the same crimes over and over and over again.”
Just hours after the attack, the Republican-led House voted 250–173 to pass a disapproval resolution against a rewrite of D.C.’s criminal code that was passed by the City Council in November last year.
The criminal bill, which would go into effect in 2025, would overhaul D.C.’s criminal statute for the first time since 1901, including reducing the maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, and robbery.
From Jan. 1 through Jan. 27, the Metropolitan Police Department recorded 2,190 crimes, including 156 robberies, marking a 16 percent increase from the same period in 2022.
Epoch Times reporter Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.