FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Police identified the man accused of hitting two members of Rep. Gerry Connolly's staff with a baseball bat at the congressman's office Monday.
Fairfax City Police said he's Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, of Fairfax. He has been charged with felony aggravated malicious wounding and malicious wounding.
The victims are recovering at the hospital. One of them was an intern on their very first day in the office.
A Xuan-Kha Pham filed a bizarre $29-million handwritten lawsuit in federal court last year claiming the CIA had tortured him with a "degenerating disability ... from the fourth dimension."
According to Fairfax City Police, officers were called to the office at 10680 Main St. after receiving a report of two staff members being assaulted.
Connolly released a statement on Twitter, saying an individual originally walked into his District office and asked to speak with the congressman.
Connolly said in an interview with the Associated Press that the suspect was known to police in Fairfax, adding, “he’s never made threats to us so it was unprovoked, unexpected and inexplicable.”
“I have no reason to believe that his motivation was politically motivated, but it is possible that the sort of toxic political environment we all live in, you know, set him off, and I would just hope all of us would take a little more time to be careful about what we say and how we say it.”
In a press conference following the attack, Fairfax City Police Sgt. Lisa Gardner said the suspect used what appeared to be a metal bat to hit both of the victims. Both of the staff members were conscious when help arrived and were taken to area hospitals. They are expected to be OK.
Gardner was unable to say how many people were inside the office when the suspect began swinging his bat but said the people who were inside were scared.
"You could absolutely tell that the people inside were scared, they were hiding," said Gardner. "I mean someone swinging a bat around, I would be scared as well."
Both Connolly and Gardner say the person is in custody. However, there is still no word on any motive behind the attack.
"[It's] concerning and quite frankly scary that someone can walk up to an office with a baseball bat and just start swinging," said Gardner.
Rep Connolly released the following statement:
"This morning, an individual entered my District Office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff. The individual is in police custody and both members of my team were transferred to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Right now, our focus is on ensuring they are receiving the care they need. We are incredibly thankful to the City of Fairfax Police Department and emergency medical professionals for their quick response."
Connolly is a Democrat who has represented Virginia's District 11 since 2009.
"I have the best team in Congress," said Connolly on Twitter. "My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day. The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff's accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating."
The United States Capitol Police has joined the investigation. In a press release Monday, USCP said they do not have any evidence showing Tran Pham was known to officers.
In April, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger testified about the heightened threat climate across the country.
“One of the biggest challenges we face today is dealing with the sheer increase in the number of threats against Members of Congress — approximately 400% over the past 6 years,” said Manger. “Over the course of the last year, the world has continuously changed, becoming more violent and uncertain.”