Washington, D.C., man pleads guilty to assaulting Rep. Angie Craig
Washington — A Washington, D.C., man who was arrested for assaulting Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota in the elevator of her apartment building in February has pleaded guilty to three federal charges stemming from the attack.
Court filings reviewed by CBS News show Kendrid Hamlin entered guilty pleas on Thursday to counts of assaulting a member of Congress and assaulting law enforcement officers who responded to the incident.
Records in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia show Hamlin has a lengthy criminal history, including 25 bench warrants since 2014. He had just been released from custody for an unrelated case in the days before the assault against Craig on Feb. 9.
In charging documents, prosecutors said Hamlin struck Craig in the face with a closed fist when she refused to let him into her apartment. A police affidavit said Hamlin also placed his hands on Craig's shoulders to keep her from reaching the elevator keypad and grabbed the congresswoman's collar bone, near her neck. In a subsequent interview with CBS News, Craig said she escaped from Hamlin by throwing a cup of hot coffee at him and by running out of the elevator when it opened at the next floor.
Prosecutors also accused Hamlin of assaulting police who responded to the case. In a court memo, the Justice Department said: "The officers attempted to place him under arrest. During this attempt, the defendant fought the officers — including kicking one officer and biting a detective."
Hamlin is scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on September 15. He is being held in jail,pending his sentencing, according to a court docket.
Craig said she suffered facial contusions in the assault in February.
She was absent from House votes this week after suffering an injury at home. A spokeswoman said Craig was diagnosed with a bimalleolar fracture, as well as a dislocated ankle, after a fall at her home in Minnesota.
