The intruder accused of breaking into Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco and viciously attacking her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer told police that he wanted to kidnap House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and break her kneecaps.
Forty-two-year-old David DePape was arrested and charged with several federal crimes on Monday, including attempting to kidnap a federal official and assaulting a federal official’s family member to retaliate against the official.
This is on top of other state charges he is facing, including attempted murder, burglary, and other felonies after he broke into the Pelosi home and attacked 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, with a hammer, fracturing his skull.
A new criminal complaint against DePape said that the intruder, who had been living in a Richmond home’s garage for the last two years, intended to detain and harm Nancy Pelosi when he broke into her home.
The affidavit stated that the intruder wanted to hold Nancy hostage and question her. He told the police that if Nancy Pelosi told him the truth, he would release her, but if she lied to him, he would inflict pain by breaking her kneecaps.
In his police interview, DePape said he was almost sure that Pelosi would not tell him the truth.
DePape arrived at Pelosi’s San Francisco house armed with at least one hammer, rope, tape, and zip ties. The police also recovered a journal that DePape was carrying.
During another interview, DePape told investigators that he viewed the House Speaker as the ‘leader of the pack’ of lies that the Democratic Party told.
DePapp told the police that if he hurt her kneecaps, Nancy Pelosi would have to get into Congress in a wheelchair, showing other house members that actions have consequences.
The charging document went on to describe how DePape gained entrance into the home. He used a hammer to break a glass door at the back of the house. He then went upstairs into Paul Pelosi’s bedroom where he was sleeping.
The affidavit states that he asked Mr. Pelosi where Nancy Pelosi was. At the time, Nancy was in Washington, DC. Mr Pelosi told him that Nancy was away, but DePape said he would sit and wait for her. He then told DePape that she would be away for several days.
At some point during their interaction, DePape wanted to restrain Mr. Pelosi using zip ties, but the 82-year-old was able to get into the bathroom and call 911.
According to the affidavit, when police asked DePape why he did not leave after Mr. Pelosi called 911, he said he was fighting against tyranny as the American founding fathers did, and there was no option to surrender.
When the police arrived, they found the two struggling for the hammer, and DePape eventually took it and smashed Mr. Pelosi across the head and knocked him out. The police then restrained him and took him into custody.
Police took Mr. Pelosi to the hospital for his injuries. He told the police that he didn’t know DePape and had never met him before.
David DePape faces 13 years to life for the charges against him.