Last Updated on October 28, 2022
Police have named David DePape as the suspect who allegedly broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) home and attacked her husband, Paul. DePape — who was in his underwear — reportedly attacked Pelosi with a hammer just as officers arrived on the scene. DePape was referred to as a “friend” who was in the home in the 911 call that reported the alleged break-in.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said David DePape, 42, is facing several charges stemming from the attack, including attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and burglary. Pelosi, 82, was injured but is expected to make a “full recovery.”
Scott said that responding officers observed both men with their hands on the hammer. When they instructed DePape to drop it, that’s when he pulled it away and struck Pelosi at least one time.
In an audio recording of the San Francisco Police Department’s dispatch, an operator stated that Paul Pelosi, who reported the disturbance himself, described the suspect as a “friend.” The dispatcher added that the reporting person sounded “somewhat confused.”
“RP (reporting person) stated that there is a male in the home and that he’s going to wait for his wife,” said a 911 dispatcher. “RP stated that he doesn’t know who the male is. Be advised that his name is David and he is a friend. RP sounded somewhat confused.”
Police dispatch to Paul Pelosi home:
"RP (reporting person) stated there's a male in the home and that he's going to wait for his wife. RP stated that he doesn't know who the male is but he advised that his name is David and that he is a friend.”
pic.twitter.com/O0HeS0s0I5— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 28, 2022
“Early this morning, an assailant broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said. “Mr. Pelosi was taken to the hospital, where he is receiving excellent medical care and is expected to make a full recovery.”
“The Speaker and her family are thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers from friends, constituents and people around the country. The Pelosi family is immensely grateful to Mr. Pelosi’s entire medical team and the law enforcement officers who responded to the assault. The family appreciates respect for their privacy during this time,” Hammill added.
The U.S. Capitol Police also put out a statement, saying that they are “assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the San Francisco Police with a joint investigation into a break-in at the California home of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
Two sources with “knowledge of the investigation” told the Associated Press that DePape shouted “where is Nancy” before assailing her husband. Authorities also reportedly recovered a manifesto that included “anti-government conspiracies” and a list of politicians to target.
In recent months, DePape has made a number of blog posts that rail against aliens, technology, transgenderism, and Q-anon. “Big Brother has deemed doing your own research as a thought crime,” reads one of the posts. “You no longer have rights. Your basic human rights hinder Big Brothers ability to enslave and control you in a complete and totalizing way,” reads another entry from August 25.
Within hours of the attack, CNN had already touched base with a number of former associates who cut ties with DePape due to his unhinged behavior. Linda Schneider, who occasionally let DePape housesit roughly eight years ago, told CNN that he was living in a storage unit when they met. Schneider eventually ceased contact with DePape after she received “really disturbing” emails where he sounded like “a megalomaniac and so out of touch with reality.”
In 2013, DePape lived with nudist activist Gypsy Taub and her family of five, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. At that time, Taub hosted a talk show called Uncensored 9/11, where she appeared naked and promoted conspiracy theories about the September 11 terrorist attacks being “an inside job.”
DePape served as best man at Taub’s nude wedding outside of San Francisco City Hall in 2013, Breitbart News reported.