Two staff members at Rep. Gerry Connolly's district office in Fairfax, Va., were attacked Monday by a person armed with a baseball bat, according to a statement released by the Democratic lawmaker.
"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," Connolly said.
The Fairfax City Police Department and the United States Capitol Police have opened investigations. The suspect has been identified as Xuan Kha Tran Pham, 49, of Fairfax, Va.; so far, investigators do not have any information that the suspect was known to the Captiol Police, a USCP statement says. According to the statement, no motive is known.
Connolly was not in the office at the time of the assaults, according to the statement.
It also notes that USCP Chief Tom Manger recently 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," Manger said. "Over the course of the last year, the world has continuously changed, becoming more violent and uncertain.
