Paul Pelosi video shows hammer attack after police arrive
Paul Pelosi attack seen in police body camera footage
Bodycam footage captured Paul Pelosi being attacked with a hammer by suspect David DePape, October 28, 2022, at his home in San Francisco after police arrived. (San Francisco Police Department)
A California court on Friday released surveillance and body camera video of the October 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at their San Francisco home.
The San Francisco County Superior Court released the footage after Judge Stephen Murphy denied a request two days earlier from prosecutors to keep it secret.
The October 28 attack sent 82-year-old Paul Pelosi to hospital for emergency surgery on a fractured skull.
Part of the footage shows police knocking on the door of Pelosi’s home, before the door opens to reveal Paul Pelosi and suspect David DePape.
DAVID DEPAPE ENTERING PELOSI’S HOUSE CAPTURED ON US CAPITOL POLICE SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE
David DePape, left, and Paul Pelosi are seen after police opened the door to Pelosi’s home in San Francisco on October 28, 2022.
(San Francisco Police Department)
“How’s it going, man?” asks an officer.
“It’s okay,” DePape replies as he and Pelosi each have a hand on a hammer, with DePape also placing a hand on Pelosi’s wrist. Pelosi appears to be holding an object in her other hand.
“Drop the hammer! said the officer, pointing his flashlight at the two men.
“Umm, no,” DePape replies, before beginning to pull the hammer away from Pelosi, who says, “Hey! Hey, hey, hey!”
The hammer then releases and DePape is seen swinging it at Pelosi, who appears to be trying to retreat before being hit.
“Oh, m—!” one of the officers says as the police burst into the house and apprehend DePape.
Screen capture from body camera video following the alleged assault of Paul Pelosi by David DePape in San Francisco on October 28, 2022.
(San Francisco Police Department)
Another clip, shot in black and white, shows DePape approaching Pelosis’ San Francisco home and dropping several bags on the floor. He then rummaged through the bags before apparently pulling a hammer out of his clothes and starting to swing towards a glass door, eventually entering the house.
DePape, 42, has pleaded not guilty to all state charges in the case, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse. He also pleaded not guilty to federal charges of assaulting an immediate family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal officer for the alleged home invasion.
FEDERAL PROSECUTION REVEALS WHAT SUSPECT PAUL PELOSI WAS WEARING WHEN POLICE ARRIVED
Representative Nancy Pelosi was in Washington, DC at the time of the incident.
Asked by reporters on Friday about her reaction to the footage, she replied: “I won’t say anything right now, but maybe I will soon.”
TOU was among the news organizations pushing for the videos to be released.
Audio clips of a 911 call and a San Francisco police interview with DePape were also released Friday alongside the videos.
“He was sleeping. Like all that noise, he couldn’t hear,” DePape told a San Francisco Police Department detective when discussing the initial burglary.
“Until he wakes up,” DePape continued, noting during the interview that Pelosi was in a bed.
“I kind of told him I was looking for Nancy Pelosi and he was like, ‘She’s not here,'” DePape also said. “He was like, ‘How can we fix this? “”
David DePape in Berkeley, California on December 13, 2013.
(Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
When San Francisco police arrived at the home around 2:30 a.m., they found Pelosi in his pajamas and the intruder wearing shorts, sneakers and a sweatshirt, according to court documents.
The encounter lasted just 15 seconds from when Pelosi opened the door for officers to when the hammer attack took place, according to a file.
“The two officers opened the door to see the lobby of the Pelosi residence, Mr. Pelosi, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, DEPAPE in shorts, running shoes and a sweatshirt, and DEPAPE and Mr. Pelosi jointly holding a hammer,” an indictment read.
The attack left Pelosi with a fractured skull and other injuries, authorities said.
David DePape is seen outside the Pelosi home on October 28, 2022 before entering.
(San Francisco Police Department)
Police called an ambulance to treat Pelosi, who was bleeding from a head wound.
Investigators also said DePape searched the homes of Pelosi and two other targets on a suspected target list two days before breaking into the House Speaker’s $8 million Pacific Heights mansion.
U.S. Capitol Police officers also had live video surveillance outside Pelosis’ San Francisco residence, but were not watching when DePape allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi, sources told TOU shortly after the incident.
TOU
Paul Pelosi and David DePape are seen on the field after DePape allegedly attacked the 82-year-old.(San Francisco Police Department)
Officers were monitoring a live feed from numerous cameras, which include surveillance of the Capitol complex, but were also monitoring certain remote points of the Capitol, including the Pelosi residence.
Sources said an officer was monitoring the streams and saw police lights on a dark street outside the Pelosi residence. If officers were monitoring the power monitoring in real time, the break-in would have been seen.
TOU’ Michael Ruiz, Adam Sabes, Chad Pregram and Michael Arroyo contributed to this report.
