Video exhibits Paul Pelosi’s wrestle for hammer throughout assault
Video launched publicly Friday exhibits the husband of former U.S. Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi preventing together with his assailant for management of a hammer moments earlier than he was struck throughout a brutal assault within the couple’s San Francisco residence final yr.
The body-camera footage exhibits suspect David DePape wrest the instrument from Paul Pelosi, 82, and lunge towards him with the hammer over his head. The blow to Pelosi happens out of the digicam’s view and the officers — one among them cursing — rush into the home and bounce on DePape.
Pelosi, apparently unconscious, will be seen mendacity face down on the ground in his pajama prime and underwear. Officers later mentioned he awakened in a pool of his personal blood.
The discharge comes after a coalition of reports businesses, together with The Related Press, sought entry to the proof that prosecutors performed in open courtroom final month. The San Francisco District Legal professional’s Workplace had refused to make the reveals accessible to journalists.
A state courtroom decide Wednesday dominated there was no cause to maintain the video secret.
The proof contains parts of Paul Pelosi’s 911 name on Oct. 28, in addition to video from Capitol police surveillance cameras, a physique digicam worn by one of many two law enforcement officials who arrived first on the home and a virtually 18-minute audio recording from DePape’s interview with police.
The Capitol Police video exhibits DePape stroll as much as a glass-panel door shortly after 2 a.m., depart after which return sporting a big backpack and carrying two different baggage. He set the gadgets down and pulled out a hammer, pausing to placed on gloves, and used it to smash the door glass so he might step by a gap.
DePape has pleaded not responsible in ongoing state and federal instances. He’s being jailed with out bail. He faces costs together with tried homicide, elder abuse, and assaulting a direct member of the family of a federal official.
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson, who represents DePape, known as the video’s launch a “horrible mistake” in a press release Friday.
“The footage is inflammatory and will feed unfounded theories about this case, and we’re extraordinarily involved about Mr. DePape’s skill to get a good trial,” Lipson mentioned.
Members of Congress have confronted a pointy rise in threats within the two years for the reason that Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol.
Through the Jan. 6 assault, rioters chanted menacingly for the speaker as they rampaged by the halls making an attempt to halt certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump within the presidential election. One man was convicted this week of eight legal counts after he put his ft on a desk in Pelosi’s workplace and left a be aware to her punctuated with a sexist expletive.
Paul Pelosi was asleep on the couple’s residence when DePape — who was 42 on the time, roughly half Pelosi’s age — allegedly broke in. Nancy Pelosi was in Washington on the time and below the safety of her safety element, which doesn’t prolong to relations.
Her husband later underwent surgical procedure to restore a cranium fracture and critical accidents to his proper arm and arms. He has since appeared in public sporting a hat and a glove to cowl his wounds.
Talking on the U.S. Capitol after the discharge, Nancy Pelosi mentioned she had not watched or listened to any of it.
“I’ve not heard the 911 name. I’ve not heard the confession. I’ve not seen the break-in. And I’ve completely no intention of seeing the lethal assault on my husband,” she mentioned.
Pelosi mentioned her husband “is making progress, however it’s going to take extra time.”
San Francisco Officer Kolby Wilmes’ body-camera video begins with officers approaching the brick residence and rapping on the door. It takes about 20 seconds for the door to open and through that point, the officers talk about whether or not they have the best home.
When the door opens, Paul Pelosi says, “Hello, guys, how are you?”
Each males are dealing with the officers on the door. Initially, the hammer is within the shadows and it takes about 5 seconds earlier than a flashlight exhibits DePape holding the deal with of a hammer together with his proper hand and clutching Pelosi’s proper hand, which is gripping across the hammer head, together with his left hand. The wrestle isn’t obvious within the first few seconds.
“What’s occurring, man?” the officer asks.
“The whole lot’s good,” DePape replies.
“Drop the hammer,” the officer says.
DePape says no and begins to drag it from Pelosi’s grip. Pelosi says, “Hey, hey.”
DePape wins management of the hammer and winds up together with his proper and delivers a vicious overhand blow as Pelosi disappears out of view and officers rush in. The officers known as for backup as they struggled with DePape and Pelosi was mendacity on the bottom.
In an interview with San Francisco Police Lt. Carla Hurley after he was taken into custody, DePape mentioned he didn’t remorse the assault despite the fact that it was not on Nancy Pelosi, his supposed goal.
Stunned to seek out Paul Pelosi within the residence, DePape described most of their encounter as “fairly amicable,” however mentioned he attacked him with the hammer as a result of he was on a mission.
DePape mentioned the assault occurred in a short time and he recalled the way it took the officers without warning.
“I yank the hammer away from him, I bounce into motion,” he mentioned with pleasure in his voice. “They bounce into motion. They’re like on prime of me immediately.”
DePape mentioned he didn’t keep in mind what number of instances he struck Pelosi, however mentioned it was with “full power.”
DePape instructed Hurley he was going after Nancy Pelosi for mendacity to the American public and that he deliberate to carry her hostage for her crimes. He believed the discredited conspiracy that Democrats stole the 2020 election from Trump.
He mentioned he deliberate to carry her hostage and would “break her kneecaps” if she lied.
When Hurley requested why DePape didn’t depart when he realized Nancy Pelosi wasn’t residence and the police have been on the best way, he in contrast himself to the Founding Fathers, explaining that he refused to give up.
The U.S. Capitol Police investigated almost 10,000 threats to members final yr, greater than twice the quantity from 4 years earlier. The division confronted heavy criticism within the aftermath of the assault on Paul Pelosi. The company has entry to about 1,800 cameras, together with one on the couple’s home that was not being monitored through the assault as a result of the speaker was not there.
Public officers throughout the U.S., from native faculty board members to election staff, have additionally endured harassment and intimidation.
This month, a former Republican candidate for a state Home seat in New Mexico was arrested in a sequence of shootings concentrating on the houses or places of work of elected Democratic officers and a Kansas man was convicted of threatening a GOP congressman.
Story by Stefanie Dazio and Brian Melley. Related Press author Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.
