First day in court for Paul Pelosi hammer attack suspect
California attorney general candidate Nathan Hochman shares his insight on the suspect in the Paul Pelosi attack on his first day in court on ‘Fox News @ Night.’
David DePape, the 42-year-old suspect accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of Nancy Pelosi, allegedly told the House speaker's husband that it was the "end of the road" for him after breaking into the couple's San Francisco residence and said he was "sick of the insane f---ing level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C," according to court documents.
Court documents filed Tuesday by San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins paint a clearer picture of what happened when DePape allegedly broke into the residence on Friday shortly after 2 a.m., stating that Paul Pelosi was "knocked unconscious" by the suspect and woke up in a "pool of his own blood."
The documents state that Paul Pelosi was knocked unconscious for about three minutes and that there were Ring security cameras "everywhere."
Paul Pelosi was taken to a local hospital to undergo surgery to repair a skull fracture in addition to other injuries.
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Paul and Nancy Pelosi, left, and David DePape (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle)
According to the documents, DePape had "several targets," which included a local professor, several prominent state and federal politicians, and relatives of those state and federal politicians."
After DePape allegedly broke in, the motion to detain states that he woke up Nancy Pelosi's husband by stating, "Are you Paul Pelosi?" with a hammer and zip ties in his hand.
"She's not here," Paul Pelosi responded. DePape then asked when Nancy Pelosi would return, to which Paul Pelosi responded, "She's in Washington, she's not going to be back for a couple of days."
"OK, well, I'm going to tie you up," DePape said to Paul Pelosi, according to the documents, which also state that the suspect "threatened to tie up Mr. Pelosi about 10 times."
When Paul Pelosi attempted to escape through an elevator near the bedroom, DePape "held the door" to prevent him from leaving, according to the documents. Nancy Pelosi's husband then sat on the bed and asked DePape why he wanted to see the House speaker.
David DePape is shown in Berkeley, California, on Dec. 13, 2013. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
"Well, she's No. 2 in line for the presidency, right?" DePape said. After Paul Pelosi agreed, DePape said that they're all corrupt and "we've got to take them all out."
Paul Pelosi then asked if he could call anyone, to which the defendant responded that "it was the end of the road" for the House Speaker's husband, according to the documents.
DePape then allowed Paul Pelosi to use the bathroom, where court documents say his phone was charging, which is when he called 911.
Paul Pelosi told the 911 operator that he didn't need police, fire or medical assistance in an attempt to "defuse the situation" as DePape was watching him on the phone, the document states. He then asked where the Capitol Police were because "they are usually at the house protecting his wife."
David DePape, right, records the nude wedding of Gypsy Taub outside City Hall on Dec. 19, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
"Uh, he thinks everything's good. Uh, I've got a problem, but he thinks everything's good," Paul Pelosi told the dispatcher, who then asked him to call back "if he changed his mind."
"No, no, no, this gentleman just, uh, came into the house, uh, and he wants to wait for my wife to come home," Paul Pelosi responded. After he gave identifying information to the dispatcher and said he didn't know DePape, the suspect said that he was a "friend of theirs."
"He's telling me I'm being very lazy, so I've got to stop talking to you," Paul Pelosi said. When the dispatcher offered to stay on the line, he responded, "No, he wants me to get the hell off the phone," and the call ended. The 911 operator then issued a priority well-being check, according to the documents.
Nancy Pelosi arrives at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Sunday. Her husband, Paul Pelosi, was the victim of a violent home invasion on Friday. (Flightrisk for Fox News Digital)
After heading downstairs, DePape said, "I can take you out," and approached Paul Pelosi's right side with a hammer. Pelosi then put his hand on the hammer's handle.
When police officers arrived at the scene and asked what was going on, DePape smiled and said that "everything's good."
Officers gave an order for the men to drop the hammer, to which DePape responded, "Um, nope," and then stepped back and lunged toward Paul Pelosi, allegedly hitting his "head at full force with the hammer," according to the complaint.
The police offers then entered the house and took DePape into custody. DePape allegedly told officers that he was on a "suicide mission."
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The San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Paul Pelosi is seen after police say David DePape violently assaulted Paul Pelosi early Friday. (KGO-TV)
"I didn't really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission. I'm not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life," DePape allegedly told police. "Hurting him was not my goal. I told him before I attacked him that he's escalating things, and I will go through him if I have to."
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"I'm sick of the insane f---ing level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C. I came here to have a little chat with his wife," DePape added.
DePape said that he came to the house with the intention to "take Speaker Nancy Pelosi hostage," adding that if she lied to him, he would "break her kneecaps."
Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was severely beaten by an attacker who broke into their San Francisco home early Friday morning. (Fox News)
"He forced his way into the Pelosi home intending to take the person third in line to the presidency of the United States hostage and to seriously harm her. Thwarted by Speaker Pelosi’s absence, Defendant continued on his quest and would not be stopped, culminating on the near fatal attack on Mr. Pelosi," Jenkins wrote in the filing.
Jenkins also wrote, "This case demands detention" and "nothing less."
A criminal complaint filed by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office states that DePape has been "convicted of other crimes."
DePape pleaded not guilty to state-level charges during a Tuesday court hearing, which include attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse, among others.
An Immigrations and Customers Enforcement source told Fox News that DePape, a Canada native, has been in the U.S. illegally after overstaying his visa by a "long time."
Officers with the U.S. Capitol Police have a feed of live surveillance video outside of the Pelosi residence in San Francisco but weren't watching it when the break-in allegedly took place, sources told Fox News.
The officers were monitoring a live-feed of many cameras, which include surveillance of the Capitol complex, but also monitor some points away from the Capitol, including the Pelosi residence.
Paul Pelosi Jr. speaks to FBI investigators outside the home of his parents, Nancy and Paul Pelosi, on Friday. (Flightrisk for Fox News Digital)
According to sources, an officer was monitoring the feeds and saw police lights on a dark street outside the Pelosi residence. When going through surveillance footage, the officer saw the alleged attack when DePape allegedly struck Paul Pelosi, people briefed on the incident said, according to the report.
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Sources tell Fox News that Capitol Police pay less attention to security cameras when one of its protectees is away, and the House speaker wasn't with her husband in San Francisco.
If the officers were watching the feed monitoring in real time, the break-in would have been seen.
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