Two Congressional
staffers are now out of the hospital
at least.
But this is after a man with a bat,
a baseball bat, attacked
Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly,
whose office in Virginia
Connolly says the suspect attacked
an intern
who was working the front desk
and then struck a senior aide in the head
with his metal bat.
CNN has obtained surveillance video.
It appears to show that same suspect
chasing a woman in his neighborhood
just minutes before the attack.
After that incident, police
say the suspect
drove to Connolly's office,
which was about six miles away.
And the suspect's father tells CNN
his son has mental health issues.
Connolly says the suspect
had previously contacted his office
to ask him to help with something.
And he made some, quote,
bizarre statements to Connolly's staff.
Let's bring in Washington
correspondent Sunlen Serfaty.
This is terrifying
and it raises
real questions about security
at congressional offices.
Not just on Capitol Hill,
but those field offices.
That's absolutely right, Poppy.
This was such a brazen attack.
And the notably
the two staffers that were hit
with that metal baseball bat
they have now been released
from the hospital.
In an interview with CNN.
Congressman
Connolly says it was only the quick
thinking of his staff
that prevented
many more
from being injured in this incident.
And he says a suspect entered
his office filled with an out-of-control
rage, demanding to see him.
The congressman said
that this is a person
that had contacted his office
in the past.
He reached out for help on an issue
and his staff did sense, he said.
And talking to him that he was engaged
in some bizarre statements,
but he never made any threats
like this violent attack.
Terrifying video caught
on a home security camera.
Neighbors say it shows the man now
accused of attacking a Virginia
congressman's staffers
allegedly chasing a woman with a bat.
Minutes earlier.
I don't think there is a motivation.
I think we're talking about real
mental illness.
Several neighbors heard the commotion.
Daniel Ashley says it wasn't
until he heard
about a possible connection
to the attack on the congressman's office
that he started
looking through
his security camera footage.
That was the clip
that had
the woman running away
from the guy with a baseball bat.
She's screaming and terrified.
I heard about that
Gerry Connolly thing on the news,
but I had no idea that I was so close
to home.
Democratic Congressman Gerry
Connolly says
Monday morning
the alleged attacker
walked into his district office
in Fairfax in an enraged state.
Turns out that he had already used that
bat to, like, destroy
all the woman's
windshield of further west.
So he was on a tear.
He did arrive here in a vehicle
and he walked to the office
and began swinging the bat,
striking to staff members.
The congressman telling CNN
he wasn't there at the time.
A man had come into our office
with a metal baseball bat
and asked for me.
And when told that I was at an event,
he proceeded to attack the young intern
who was at the front desk
on her first day.
And then when noise and commotion became
clear, others
came running out of their offices.
And he attacked my outreach director and
just hit her badly.
On the back of her head.
And the suspect's
father told CNN
he has tried to get help
for his son in the past.
The 49 year old was also known
to law enforcement.
He was charged in January of 2022
with felony
assault on a law enforcement officer,
among other charges.
Now, the district attorney
at that time declined to prosecute
for this incident.
He is facing charges
for one count of aggravated
malicious wounding
and one count of malicious
wounding Poppy.
Allan, thank you for the update.
Hope that those staffers fully recover.