Two members of Rep. Gerry Connolly’s staff were attacked with a metal baseball bat at his district office at 10680 Main St., Fairfax, on Monday morning, he said in a statement.
The victims are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and the suspect is in custody, Fairfax City Police said on Twitter.
“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,” Connolly said in the statement.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
Police were called to the office at 10:49 a.m., NBC4 reported. They took a man into custody while other office members were hiding for safety. The suspect was identified as Xuan Kha Tran Pham, 49, of Fairfax, according to the U.S. Capitol Police. He faces charges for one count of aggravated malicious wounding and one count of malicious wounding.
Connolly told CNN that the victims included a senior aide who was hit in the head with the bat, and an intern who was hit in the side with the bat. It was the intern’s first day working in the office, he said.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a statement on Twitter. “Violence does not belong in our political system and my prayers are with Rep. Gerry Connolly’s staff for a speedy recovery,” he said. “We’ve seen this against our judiciary, we’ve seen this against our legislative branch and it has no place in our Commonwealth.
The motivation for the attack is not yet known. The U.S. Capitol Police and Fairfax City Police are investigating.
Feature image courtesy @GerryConnolly/Twitter
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