According to San Francisco Police Chief William Scott, the assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was “planned,” and the dispatcher’s “intuition” and “rapid thinking” led to a quicker police response.
Early on Friday morning, a burglar entered the Pelosis’ San Francisco house and “violently assaulted” her husband. He was then brought to a nearby hospital for surgery on a skull fracture. According to a statement from Speaker Pelosi’s spokesperson Drew Hammill, the attacker “acted with force, and threatened his life while demanding to see the Speaker.”
Paul Pelosi was admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where he underwent surgery, the statement claims “His right arm, hands, and skull fracture were all successfully treated during surgery. Doctors predict a full recovery for him.”
After getting a phone from Paul Pelosi himself, Scott, the chief of the San Francisco Police Department, lauded dispatcher Heather Grimes for her “intuition” and “quick-thinking.” Scott said Grimes could see something was wrong, but he would not elaborate on how Pelosi indicated he felt in danger.
At 2:27 in the morning, police arrived at the Pelosi residence. According to Scott, when they knocked on the door, “someone within” opened it.
Officers observed Mr. Pelosi and a man, later identified as 42-year-old David Depape, “both holding a hammer,” according to the police.
After breaking in through a back entrance, the guy “took the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and severely beat him with it.”
According to Scott, “our officers promptly tackled the subject, disarmed him, got him into custody, summoned emergency backup, and administered medical attention.” Depape and Pelosi were also taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, Scott added.
Scott insisted that this was not a random act of violence despite the fact that the investigation is still underway and authorities have not yet disclosed a reason for the assault.
This was planned, he declared.
Where is Nancy, where is Nancy? the attacker said as she approached Speaker Pelosi’s husband, according to a source briefed on the event and quoted by NPR.
Speaker Pelosi, who follows the vice president in line for the presidency, was not home during the break-in and attack.
Depape was still being treated at the hospital on Friday night. Regarding his medical history, Scott withheld all information.