Paul Pelosi hammer attack video, 911 call, played in court at suspect’s hearing
the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, described in court Wednesday the struggle before Paul Pelosi was bludgeoned in the head in the couple’s home.
“My partner said, ‘Drop the weapon,'” San Francisco Police Officer Kyle Cagney said, recalling his encounter with suspect David DePape, 42. “He started to pull the hammer, Mr. Pelosi let go and the man lunged and hit Mr. Pelosi in the head.”
Cagney said Paul Pelosi fell face first as “a pool of blood” began pouring underneath him.
The detailed testimony, along with police body camera footage, the 911 call, and a police interview with DePape unveiled Wednesday, fleshed out details of the shocking assault and the charges against DePape.
A break-in, conversation, 911 call, then violence
The hammer was also among about a dozen pieces of evidence prosecutors Sean Connolly and Phoebe Maffei introduced at the preliminary hearing in San Francisco Superior Court.
Cagney, one of the officers who responded to the 911 call, described Paul Pelosi and DePape grappling with the hammer near the front door of the Pacific Heights home. The officer showed the court the hammer, pulled from an evidence bag.
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‘I know what I did’
Police Sgt. Carla Hurley interviewed DePape at San Francisco General Hospital the day of the attack and he was recorded saying: “I’m not trying to get away with this. I know what I did.”
DePape, who wore an orange sweatshirt, orange pants, and a mask with his long brown hair slicked back, is being held without bail at San Francisco County Jail since the attack on Oct. 28.
State charges include attempted murder and burglary
The state charges include attempted murder, elder abuse, and burglary for allegedly knocking Paul Pelosi, 82, unconscious during the morning break-in at the couple’s home. DePape, who pleaded not guilty to the state charges, faces 13 years to life in prison if convicted.
A previous judge at DePape’s initial court appearance, Loretta “Lori” Giorgi, left the case after revealing she Speaker Pelosi’s daughter, Christine, worked at the San Francisco city attorney’s office in the 1990s. Christine Pelosi attended the hearing.
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DePape also faces federal charges of assault on a family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal official. He pleaded not guilty to those charges on Nov. 15 and awaits a status hearing Feb. 8.
Police: DePape on ‘suicide mission’ targeting Nancy Pelosi
DePape allegedly broke a glass door to get into the home after 2 a.m. looking for Nancy Pelosi, who was in Washington, according to court records. DePape awakened Paul Pelosi, who was in bed asleep, to ask where his wife was, according to court records.
Hurley said he was on a “suicide mission” and had plans to target other California and federal politicians.
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DePape was watching when Paul Pelosi called 911 from Pelosi’s bathroom, according to Hurley. Paul Pelosi suggested that the two go downstairs to the first floor where DePape broke in, she said.
When DePape saw the lights of a police patrol car, Hurley testified that DePape told Paul Pelosi, “I’m not going to surrender, I am here to fight. If you try to stop me, you will take the punishment.”
Paul Pelosi was knocked unconscious and suffered a skull fracture in the attack, along with arm and hand injuries, all of which required surgery. He is recovering and the hearing came the same day Paul Pelosi joined his wife at the Capitol for the unveiling of her official portrait.