Suspect in Rep. Angie Craig assault has long criminal record, including 25 bench warrants

(WASHINGTON) — The man who allegedly assaulted Rep. Angie Craig last week has a lengthy criminal record, including 25 bench warrants since 2014 and was experiencing homelessness, according to court documents filed on Monday.

Craig, a Minnesota Democrat, was assaulted while in her Washington, D.C., apartment building last Thursday and said she was able to fend off her alleged attacker, 27-year-old Kendrid Hamlin, by pouring hot coffee on him.

The Justice Department is asking a D.C. judge to hold Hamlin, who was arrested the next day, without bail.

Court documents offer more detail about what occurred that morning.

Hamlin, allegedly defecated and slept in the apartment building’s vestibule and gained entry into the apartment building when someone let him in.

The documents said that Hamlin encountered Craig in the elevator.

“Before the doors closed, the defendant stuck his arm between the door, preventing the door from closing, and stepped inside the elevator with the Representative,” the court documents said.

“The defendant told the Representative that he needed to go to the bathroom, and that he was coming to her apartment. The Representative advised the defendant that he could not do so. In response, the defendant became agitated,” the documents said. “The defendant stood in front of the elevator door, blocking the Representative from exiting the elevator, and hit buttons on the keypad. When the Representative tried to move past the defendant, he punched her on the left side of her face, striking the chin/mouth area with his closed fist.”

Officers found Hamlin less than a mile away from the attack later that day — and when he was approached by police he bit and kicked officers, according to the documents.

The Justice Department said that Hamlin had a lengthy rap sheet and essentially did not voluntarily show up to court for matters from August to December 2022.

He had at least 25 bench warrants for alleged crimes committed inside the District and neighboring communities, the Justice Department said.

Hamlin had 12 prior convictions as well.

“His bench warrants for failing to appear cover every year from 2015 to the present,” DOJ said. “Notwithstanding the very serious nature of the charged assault and his actions during the arrest, the defendant’s criminal history shows he is a danger to the community,” the documents said.