Baseball Bat Attack At Virginia Congressman’s Office Injures 2 Staffers

A person wielding a baseball bat attacked two staffers inside the Virginia office of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) on Monday morning after asking for him by name, the member of Congress said.

Both victims, who were not immediately identified, were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries while the suspect was taken into police custody, Sgt. Lisa Gardner, a public information officer with the Fairfax City Police Department, told HuffPost.

“Right now, our focus is on ensuring they are receiving the care they need,” Connolly said in a statement that praised his staff as “the best team in Congress.”

“My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day. The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating,” he said.

The assailant struck a senior aide in the head with the metal bat and also hit an intern, who was on her first day on the job, on her side, CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted, citing an interview with Connolly.

Gardner said officers were called to Connolly’s office at 10:49 a.m. over an active assault. Connolly was not at the office at the time of the incident, she added.

The male suspect, who was not being immediately identified, was not known by police in the city of Fairfax, Gardner said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.