U.S. Capitol Police surveillance video taken from outside Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) home in San Francisco shows the suspect who allegedly attacked her husband in October breaking in.
The footage, released on Jan. 27, purports to show the suspect, David DePape, looking into the home, walking away, and then returning with several bags. The suspect is then seen looking through the bags for several minutes.
After about 2 a.m. local time on Oct. 28, 2022, DePape starts attempting to break a window with what appears to be a hammer. After about 30 seconds, he is seen climbing through the window.
The video appears to dispel speculation that DePape may have been invited into the Pelosi home rather than break in, although significant questions still remain. It’s not clear why the home of Pelosi, a former House speaker and one of the most powerful people in Washington, did not have an alarm or other security features outside her residence.
Authorities say that DePape then accosted her husband, Paul Pelosi, while he was sleeping before demanding to know where the former House speaker was. Bodycamera footage that was also released on Jan. 27 appears to show DePape, 43, striking Pelosi, 82, with a hammer after police arrived at the residence and asked DePape to drop the hammer.
“Drop the hammer,” one of the officers tells the suspect. “Nope,” DePape replies before taking it from Pelosi and attacking him with it. Because of the angle of the bodycamera, the actual attack is not shown on camera.
The officers are then seen tackling DePape while Pelosi is seen lying on the ground, motionless. As the officers restrain DePape, they place handcuffs on him.
A superior court judge ordered that the footage be released to the public after a coalition of news outlets, including The Associated Press, requested that it be unsealed.
Over the weekend, DePape gave a phone interview to a local news outlet and allegedly said he wanted to commit more attacks. The suspect said that individual liberties are under attack by Washington politicians.
The “people killing it (individual liberty) have names and addresses, so I got their names and addresses so I could pay them a little visit … have a heart to heart chat about their bad behavior.”
“I want to apologize to everyone. I messed up. What I did was really bad. I’m so sorry I didn’t get more of them. It’s my own fault. No one else is to blame. I should have come better prepared,” he told KTVU, a local affiliate station based in the California Bay Area.
Previously, family members of DePape have said that he suffers from mental illness. A former partner, Oxane “Gypsy” Taub, told media outlets last year that he disappeared for months before coming back and claimed he was Jesus, while his son questioned whether he was motivated by a right-wing political animus.
DePape has pleaded not guilty in state and federal cases and is jailed without bail. He faces charges including attempted murder, elder abuse, and assaulting an immediate family member of a federal official.
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson, who represents DePape, called the video’s release a “terrible mistake.”
“The footage is inflammatory and could feed unfounded theories about this case, and we are extremely concerned about Mr. DePape’s ability to get a fair trial,” Lipson said in a statement.
Other Details
After DePape confronted Paul Pelosi in his bedroom, Pelosi tried to make it to an elevator in the home to reach a phone, but DePape blocked his way, authorities previously said. Pelosi then told DePape he had to use the restroom, where his cellphone was charging, allowing him to call 911.
Police praised a dispatcher, who could hear DePape in the background, for recognizing the threat despite Pelosi’s calm voice and coding the call as a priority, resulting in a faster police response.
In an interview with San Francisco Police Lt. Carla Hurley after he was taken into custody, DePape said he didn’t regret the attack even though it was not on Nancy Pelosi, his intended target.
DePape said the attack happened very quickly and he recalled how it took the officers by surprise. “I yank the hammer away from him, I jump into action,” he said. “They jump into action. They’re like on top of me instantly.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
