Police body camera footage has been released showing the moment Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked with a hammer by an alleged home intruder.
Also newly released on Thursday was footage of the alleged attacker, 42-year-old David DePape, breaking into Pelosi’s home by busting a window with a hammer.
The body camera video shows a police officer, identified in a criminal complaint as San Francisco Police Department Officer Colby Wilmes, knocking on Pelosi’s door before sunrise on Oct. 28.
Pelosi answers, appearing to wear only underwear and a shirt. One of his hands is on a hammer held by DePape, while the other appears to be holding a drinking glass.
Wilmes exchanges greetings with the pair and asks, “What’s going on, man?” DePape responds, “Everything’s good.” Wilmes asks him to drop the hammer, and DePape says, “Umm, nope,” as he tries pulling the hammer from Pelosi’s grip.
After the officer asks again what’s going on, DePape suddenly swings the hammer at Pelosi. The officer rushes inside, along with another officer, to detain him.
DePape is set to appear in court next month on charges relating to the October incident. A San Francisco judge on Wednesday ordered the footage to be released amid requests from numerous news agencies, ruling that there was no reason to keep it secret, CBS News reported.
During the break-in, DePape told police that he was looking for then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who wasn’t home at the time. Police said they recovered zip ties from Pelosi’s bedroom, as well as a roll of tape, white rope, a hammer, a pair of gloves and a journal in DePape’s backpack.
Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that she wasn’t sure whether she’d watch the newly publicized footage, telling reporters “it would be a very hard thing to see an assault on my husband’s life,” NBC News reported.
