Man Charged in Baseball Bat Assault on Two U.S. Congressional Staffers

(Reuters) – A person accused of attacking two congressional workers members with a baseball bat this week and threatening to kill certainly one of them, has been charged with assault on an worker of the U.S. authorities, federal prosecutors stated on Wednesday.

Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, was taken into custody by Fairfax police following the assault within the workplaces of Consultant Gerry Connolly on Monday. He may additionally face expenses by native prosecutors.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys Workplace in jap Virginia, which filed the fees, haven’t stated what they consider motivated the assault however stated in a written assertion that the suspect was demanding to talk to Connolly.

He additionally shouted “you are going to die” and “I will kill you,” prosecutors stated.

Connolly, a Democrat from Northern Virginia, stated on Twitter that the 2 workers members had been launched from hospital.

“My workers members who suffered accidents within the assault have each been launched from the hospital and are on their method to restoration, however their journey towards emotional therapeutic has solely simply begun,” Connolly, 73, stated in a written assertion posted on Twitter.

Prosecutors say Pham entered Connolly’s workplace in Fairfax carrying the baseball bat, then struck a feminine within the head and hit an intern within the ribs. He then returned to the primary sufferer, placing her a complete of eight occasions, in line with prosecutors.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Enhancing by David Gregorio)

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