David DePape wanted to hold US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a hostage and break her kneecaps in case she lied to his questions following the break-in on Friday morning. The intrusion left 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, husband of the House Speaker, with a fractured skull and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.
DePape was charged with one count of assault on an immediate family member of a United States official and one count of attempted kidnapping of a US official.
DePape Shouted “Where is Nancy?”
As reported previously, the Berkeley, California resident allegedly assaulted Paul with a hammer after invading the couple’s early Friday. Prior to the attack, DePape shouted at Paul asking, “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?” He gained access to the house by breaking a glass door.
Addressing a news conference, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said that the cops responded to a call at around 02:27 local time (09:27 GMT) on Friday. On reaching the house they saw an injured Paul and DePape struggling over a hammer. The suspect who had attempted to tie up Paul “until Nancy got home”, was disarmed by police.
Intelligencer reported that during an interview with authorities, DePape allegedly told officers that he wanted to hold Pelosi hostage and talk to her. He was quoted as saying that if Pelosi told the “truth,” he would let her go, but if she lied, he would’ve broken her kneecaps.
DePape Saw Pelosi as “Leader of the Pack” of Lies
According to the federal criminal complaint DePape said that after breaking Pelosi’s kneecaps, “she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions.’
The outlet further reported that the cops found zip ties, roll of tape, white rope, one hammer, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and a journal in DePape’s backpack lying near the broken door.
Revealing his hatred against Pelosi, DePape told the authorities that he viewed Nancy as the ‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party.
DePape has been described as an ‘active online participant in multiple conspiracy theories, railing against perceived censorship and government control, and engaging in hate speech and antisemitism,’