A mentally ill homeless man who attacked a Democratic congresswoman in an elevator was sentenced to 27 months in prison Thursday, authorities said.
Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 26, assaulted Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., inside her Washington, DC, apartment building on the morning of Feb. 9.
Hamlin followed Craig into an elevator inside his Mount Vernon Triangle apartment building after he passed her and said, “Good morning,” according to police. While inside the elevator, he began doing random push-ups, Craig told police.
Rep. Angie Craig was attacked inside her Washington, DC, apartment building on the morning of Feb. 9. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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He then asked Craig if he could use his bathroom, and when he refused, he punched him in the chin before grabbing him by the neck.
The congressman managed to fend off the attack by throwing his morning cup of coffee at him. He then fled the scene.
The next day, he attacked two police officers who were arresting him, according to authorities.
Hamlin doesn’t live in Craig’s apartment building, but he did enter the building’s lobby at 6 a.m., when he defecated and walked around until Craig emerged about an hour later, the Star Tribune reported. He said he was acting erratically while waiting for her.
Authorities said the attack was not politically motivated.
Hamlin pleaded guilty in June to assault on a member of Congress and two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer. Assaulting a member of Congress can carry a maximum of 10 years in prison, while assaulting a police officer carries a statutory maximum sentence of six months in prison, according to the US Attorney’s Office in District of Columbia.
Kendrid Khalil Hamlin attacked Rep. Angie Craig inside her Washington, DC, apartment building on the morning of Feb. 9. (DC Police Department)
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He was sentenced to a 27-month prison sentence Thursday, followed by 36 months of supervised release, prosecutors said.
His lawyer said he suffered from a history of schizophrenia and substance abuse.
Craig detailed the physical and mental impact the attack left on him. He suffered bruises and cuts on his lips.
“While my physical recovery took days, my mental and emotional recovery was much longer and ongoing. My sense of safety and security was greatly affected,” she wrote.
“Following the attack, I developed strategies with professional help to combat and deal with periodic anxiety. I sought self-defense training.”
Hit Rep. Angie Craig in the elevator in her Washington, DC, apartment building. Her attacker was sentenced to 27 months in prison. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
He also said he was “doxed” by a media outlet that resulted in him breaking his lease and moving out due to “targeted security concerns.”
A few days after the attack, MSNBC briefly aired a copy of the police report containing Craig’s address.
“I have received many additional targets of physical violence and death threats against myself and my staff,” he wrote.
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Craig wrote that he hopes the sentence will ensure that Hamlin is “accountable for his actions” and that he will be provided with mental health services during his incarceration that will allow him to “become a productive member of society.”
Craig has served as the US representative for Minnesota’s 2nd congressional district since 2019.
She was the first openly gay member of Congress from Minnesota and the first lesbian mother to serve in Congress. He and his wife have four children.
