Rep. Angie Craig calls out DC over handling of alleged assailant’s previous assaults

Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) called out the Washington, D.C., government for its handling of the alleged assailant who attacked her inside the elevator of her Capitol Hill apartment building.

In a “CBS Mornings” interview that aired Tuesday, the Minnesota congresswoman recounted the moments that led to her assault. She also claimed that the suspect, identified as Kendrick Khalil Hamlin, has 12 arrests and convictions, all prior to her incident, on his record.

According to court documents, Hamlin, 27, was convicted in December on charges stemming from assaulting a police officer and committing lewd, indecent or obscene acts. 

“I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine that morning,” Craig told CBS. “And so I think we have to think about how in the world can we make sure that we’re not just letting criminals out.”

“I mean, it wasn’t even in every instance that he got 10 days or 30 days. Many times, the charges were completely dropped before any justice was achieved at all,” she added.

Craig, who is entering her fifth year in Congress, further noted that lawmakers need to figure out ways to get repeat offenders off the streets and address available resources for them.

“We have to get these repeat offenders off the streets. We also have got to figure out how we get people the mental health and addiction help that they need because these people are getting back out and just recommitting the same crimes over and over and over again,” Craig added. 

Craig’s remarks come after she was assaulted last week. According to the initial police report, Hamlin punched Craig in the chin and grabbed her neck inside the elevator of her apartment building after she refused to let him enter her apartment. 

The Minnesota Democrat then threw a hot cup of coffee at the suspect, resulting in him fleeing the scene. Hamlin was then arrested and charged by authorities a couple of hours later.

Craig, who was bruised but “physically okay” following the assault, said in a statement that she was “very, very lucky” to escape the attack with only minor injuries. 

“My morning coffee really saved the day yesterday, but not exactly how I expected it to,” Craig said in her statement.  “On a serious note, I will say that I was very, very lucky that I was not more injured — and I’ll have more to say about that soon.”