Yahoo Sports Rep. Angie Craig's Attacker, Who She Fended Off with Hot Coffee, Pleads Guilty
The Justice Department said Kendrid Hamlin, 26, admitted in court to "willfully [assaulting] a member of the House of Representatives"
The attacker whom Democratic Rep. Angie Craig fended off with a cup of hot coffee in February pleaded guilty in court on Thursday to one count of assault on a member of Congress and two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer.
In a statement, the Department of Justice announced that Kendrid Hamlin, 26, admitted in court to "willfully [assaulting] a member of the House of Representatives, causing personal injury."
The DOJ said Hamlin also admitted to assaulting both a detective and a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department that same day.
The charge of assault on a member of Congress carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, while the charge of assault on a law enforcement officer carries a statutory maximum sentence of six months in prison.
Related: Rep. Angie Craig Uses Hot Coffee to Defend Herself from Assailant in D.C. Apartment Building
Craig was attacked in the elevator of her Washington, D.C. apartment building in February, her chief of staff said in a statement issued at the time.
In the statement, chief of staff Nick Coe wrote that Craig "was assaulted in the elevator of her apartment building in Washington DC. Rep. Craig defended herself from the attacker and suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically okay."
"Rep. Craig called 911 and the assailant fled the scene of the assault," the statement continued. "There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated. Rep. Craig is grateful to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for their quick response and asks for privacy at this time."
NBC News reported that a police report on the assault detailed how Hamlin entered the elevator with the lawmaker and started doing pushups before he "punched her on the chin area of her face, and later grabbed her neck," after which time she told police she threw a cup of hot coffee on him, and he escaped the area.
Craig, a U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 2nd District, is a mother to four boys with her wife, Cheryl.
She came to Congress in 2018 following a tight race with Republican Jason Lewis, becoming the first openly LGBT member of Congress from Minnesota.
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