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On Monday, May 15, 49-year-old Xuan Kha Tran Pham allegedly attacked two of Gerry Connolly's staffers with a metal baseball bat. According to the Guardian, the attack occurred at approximately 10:50 am. Armed with a baseball bat, Pham had walked into Connolly's Northern Virginia district office in Fairfax, before asking to see the congressman.
As reported by authorities, he subsequently assaulted two staffers when he was denied, leading to his arrest at the hands of responding officers.
Trigger warning: This article concerns a violent assault. Reader's discretion is advised.
CNN reported that both of Xuan Kha Tran Pham's victims have been admitted to a hospital for their injuries. Pham is currently being held without bond by Virginia authorities. He is facing charges of malicious wounding and aggravated malicious wounding.
The timeline of the attack on Gerry Connolly's office
As stated by Gerry Connolly's staffers, two staff members were within immediate proximity to Xuan Kha Tran Pham when the attack began. One of them was identified as an intern on her first day at the job. Gerry Connoly told CNN that Xuan Kha Tran Pham began the attack unprovoked, striking one of the staffers in the head, while the intern was hit on her torso.
Connolly was not in the office at the time.
Gerry Connolly said that the attacker proceeded to damage property around the office, striking glass and computers with the metal bat. The congressman added that many of his staffers hid around the room as Pham continued to destroy the office.
Pham's motive currently remains unclear. His father, Hy Pham, told the Washington Post that his son suffers from schizophrenia, and that this was the primary cause of his volatile behavior. Gerry Connolly also told reporters that he does not believe the attack is an act of political violence.
Connolly said:
"I have no reason to believe that his motivation was political … but it is possible that the sort of toxic political environment we all live in, you know, set him off, and I would just hope all of us would take a little more time to be careful about what we say and how we say it.”
The case currently remains under police investigation.
The legal history Xuan Kha Tran Pham
While officials have not released Xuan Kha Tran Pham's criminal record prior to the assault on Gerry Connolly's office, it appears that the incident is not his first time confronting government bodies.
In May 2022, Pham reportedly attempted to sue the CIA for "imprisoning" and "torturing" him. The circumstances behind this accusation are unknown.
On Monday, shortly before the assault on the staffers, a suspect who matched Pham's description vandalised a woman's car with a metal baseball bat. The police said that he asked her if she was white, before hitting her windshield and fleeing the scene. Officials have not confirmed whether or not this was Pham.
