Person attacks Virginia congressman’s staff with a baseball bat at district office

WASHINGTON—Persons with baseball bats broke into Democratic Virginia Rep. Jerry Connolly’s district office on Monday morning and attacked two employees, he said in a statement.

“This morning, a person entered my district office with a baseball bat and wanted me before assaulting two members of my staff. Both members of the team were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries,” Connolly said.

He said the focus is on ensuring staff get the care they need. It’s unclear who on Connolly’s staff was injured or where lawmakers were at the time of the attack.

“We are very grateful to the Fairfax City Police Department and emergency medical professionals for their prompt response,” he said.

“I have the best team in Congress,” Connolly added. “My district office staff work every day to reach out to voters and the public. It’s devastating.”

Connolly, 73, represents Virginia’s 11th congressional district and has served in the House since 2009. His district office is located in Fairfax, Virginia, less than 25 miles from downtown Washington.

Neither lawmakers nor police provided additional details about suspects, what happened during the attack, or possible motives.

“Intimidation and violence, especially against civil servants, have no place in our society.” tweeted Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat, Virginia. “This is an extremely disturbing development and our hearts go out to the injured staff.”

Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, representing another district in Northern Virginia, said: tweeted“This is very, very scary. Best wishes to @GerryConnolly and his team for the speedy recovery of his staff injured in this violent attack. We are working hard to keep everyone safe.” We thank the authorities who are

Lawmakers have expressed concerns about the security of their offices and homes, especially since the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol.

Last October, Paul Pelosi, husband of then-California House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked at his San Francisco home by a man with a hammer.

In 2017, a group of Republican lawmakers in Alexandria, Virginia, were shot by a man while practicing for a Congressional baseball game. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) was among those shot and had to undergo surgery and physical therapy.

This is a developing story. Please check the latest information again.