Homeless man arrested over attack on Democratic Rep. Angie Craig

Police have arrested a homeless man accused of assaulting Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat from Minnesota, in the elevator of her apartment building.

Kendrick Hamlin was charged with simple assault after the horrifying attack on Craig, 50, at around 7.15am on Thursday, Washington D.C. police said in a statement. 

Hamlin, 26, was reportedly acting erratically as he waited for the elevator with the congresswoman in her building's lobby in northeastern D.C.

He then did pushups in the elevator before proceeding to punch Craig in the face and grab her neck, the police report said. 

The congresswoman defended herself by tossing hot coffee in the face of the attacker and called 911 as her assailant fled.

The attacker did pushups in the elevator before he proceeded to punch Craig in the face and grab her neck. Pictured: Rep. Angie Craig in front of the U.S. Capitol, November 2018

Police have arrested Kendrick Hamlin (pictured), a homeless man accused of assaulting Rep. Angie Craig

Craig's chief of staff, Nick Coe, said she 'suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically okay'.

'There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated,' he added. 

'Rep. Craig is grateful to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for their quick response and asks for privacy at this time.'

The 50-year-old Congresswoman was elected to a third term in last year's midterms.

The police report of the incident describes how she saw the suspect in the lobby of her building in the Mount Vernon Triangle area of the city acting erratically, as if on drugs. 

'[Craig] advised that at some point she said "good morning" to [Hamlin] then she entered the elevator to go to her apartment,' the police report read.

'[Craig] further states that [Hamlin] then, entered the same elevator she was in and began to randomly do push ups. 

'[Craig] stated that [Hamlin] with a closed fist punched her on the chin area of her face, and later grabbed her neck. 

'[Craig] defended her self by tossing her hot coffee at [Hamlin].'

The assailant fled before police officers arrived on the scene, but has since been taken into custody.

Kendrick Hamlin was charged with simple assault after the horrifying attack on Craig , 50, at around 7.15am on Thursday, Washington D.C. police said in a statement

Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat from Minnesota, was assaulted in the elevator of her apartment building in Washington, D.C. on Thursday morning

Fellow Democrat and Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, said he had spoken to Craig and said she was doing fine.

Governor Walz tweeted: 'Angie is tough as nails - she immediately got back to work and voted on the House floor. I’m glad to have met with her this morning and hear she’s doing well.'