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Rep. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), before his ceremonial swearing-in in the Rayburn Room at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Aug. 12, 2022. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A congressional staffer for Rep. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) was reportedly attacked by an armed suspect after returning from the congressional charity baseball game last week in Washington D.C.
Finstad first revealed the attack in a Friday press statement, saying “one of my staffers was attacked outside of his residence by an armed gunman” after the game ended on Wednesday evening. The Congressional Baseball Game is an annual event in which members of Congress from the Republican and Democratic parties compete while raising money for various charitable organizations.
Finstad’s staffer reported the assault to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and NTD News obtained a copy of the incident report.
Finstad’s initial press statement did not name the congressional staffer who was attacked, but the MPD report did identify him as Tyler Dunn.
The police report states that Dunn was returning home at around 3 a.m. on Thursday morning after the game. Two males wearing black hoodies reportedly pushed Dunn to the ground and pointed a black handgun at him. The police report states Dunn was the target of a simple assault and the perpetrators had the intent to rob him of his possessions but Dunn managed to run away and did not give the suspects any of his possessions.
No shots were fired and the MPD arrest report does not classify the incident as a possible hate crime.
Finstad said his staffer will be able to make a full recovery from the minor physical injuries sustained during the attack. The congressman thanked MPD “for their quick response and their attention to this incident” but criticized the “soft-on-crime” policies in Washington, D.C.
“In Washington, D.C., and cities across the country, anti-police, soft-on-crime policies have created lawless societies that endanger the public and empower criminal behavior,” Finstad said.
“It’s time we started treating criminals like criminals and bring back commonsense policies that imprison career criminals, keep the public safe, and allow our police officers to adequately protect our communities and keep violent criminals off the streets.”
Members of Congress, Staff Have Been Attacked Before
Several members of Congress and their staff have come under armed attack in recent years.
The attack against Dunn came almost exactly six years after a gunman opened fire on Republican lawmakers as they were practicing for that year’s congressional baseball game in nearby Alexandria, Virginia. Then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was among those in critical condition after being struck by gunfire during the June 14, 2017, attack. Shooting suspect James Hodgkinson, who had a history of posting comments critical of Republicans, was killed by responding police officers.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was blind-sided in November of 2017 when his neighbor in his home state tackled him to the ground while he was mowing his lawn. Paul sustained six broken ribs and had to undergo hernia surgery as a result of the attack. Neighbor Rene Boucher pleaded guilty to the assault that he claimed was over a dispute related to yard waste and was sentenced to 30 days in federal prison. Boucher was also ordered to pay more than $580,000 in damages after the attack. Paul had been present at the Congressional baseball shooting earlier that year.
Phillip Todd, a member of Paul’s staff, also survived a stabbing attack in D.C. in March. Suspect, Glynn Neal was arrested on the same day of the attack and charged with assault with intent to kill with a knife, according to the MPD.
In October last year, a suspect broke into the home of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and struck her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer. A man by the name of David DePape was arrested as a suspect in that case.
Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) was bruised in an elevator in her D.C. apartment complex in February. The suspect in that case was identified as a homeless man, named Kendrick Hamlin. Craig’s office said there was no evidence to suggest the attack was politically motivated. Hamlin plead guilty to the assault earlier this month.
In March this year, Xuan-Kha Tran Pham was charged with assaulting three women with a baseball bat, including two staffers for U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). Pham’s father, Hy Pham, said his son suffers from schizophrenia. Hy Pham said he has been trying to get his son to undergo mental health treatment but his son has refused the help.
