Pelosi attack suspect planned to target Tom Hanks, Hunter Biden, police say
David DePape David DePape can be seen in Berkeley, California on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images, File)
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
SAN FRANCISCO — The man accused of attacking the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a hammer in October also planned to target actor Tom Hanks, Hunter Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to testimony heard in court Wednesday.
David DePape, 42, faces charges including attempted murder and elder abuse after authorities said he broke into the Pelosi family home in San Francisco and attacked Paul Pelosi. On Wednesday, a judge ruled that there was enough evidence to move forward with a trial, KPIX-TV reported.
Investigators previously said that DePape was targeting the House speaker in the Oct. 28 break-in. At the time, Nancy Pelosi was in Washington.
In court, Lt. Carla Hurley testified that DePape told her that he planned to attack the House speaker because “she is the second in line to the presidency” behind Vice President Kamala Harris, The Associated Press reported. He said he also wanted to target other people, including Hanks, Biden and Newsom, according to the AP.
It was not immediately clear whether DePape plotted any attacks against his other prospective targets.
“I told (Paul Pelosi), I have other targets. I can’t be stopped,” DePape said in an interview, according to KGO-TV and KRON-TV. “If I have to go through him, I will.”
DePape said Democrats had gone on a “crime spree … persecuting the rival campaign,” KRON reported. He claimed that Nancy Pelosi was “on TV lying every day.”
“There’s evil in Washington,” he said, according to the AP. “What they did went so far beyond the campaign.”
In court, one of the officers who responded to the Pelosi home on Oct. 28 testified that he saw both DePape and Paul Pelosi holding a hammer when authorities arrived. Officer Kyle Cagney said that DePape swung the hammer at Paul Pelosi after officers ordered him to drop the weapon, the AP reported.
Paul Pelosi was knocked unconscious and woke in a pool of his own blood, according to the AP. He suffered a skull fracture and injuries to his arms and hands.
DePape also faces federal charges, including assault and attempted kidnapping.
He is due to appear for a formal arraignment in state court on Dec. 28, KPIX reported.
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Through the years Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) puts her hand on a Bible held by her grandchildren Alexander Prowda (bottom L) and Liam Kenneally (bottom R) as she is sworn in as the House Democratic Whip, at the Statuary Hall of the Capitol February 06, 2002 in Washington, DC. Pelosi became the highest-ranking woman ever in the U.S. Congress. Her husband Paul is at (L). (Photo by Manny Ceneta/Getty Images) (Manny Ceneta/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 19: Paul Pelosi (L) and Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) attend the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Bridge Dedication Gala at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers November 19, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images) (Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 09: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her husband Paul Pelosi arrive for the 12th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Comedy at the Kennedy Center on November 9, 2010 in Washington, DC. Tina Fey, creator of the television show 30 Rock, is the recipient of this year's prize. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - JUNE 7: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her husband Paul Pelosi arrive at the White House June 7, 2011 in Washington, DC. Guests arrived to attend a state dinner being held by the Obama's for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. This is the first official visit by a European leader to the White House since Obama became president. Merkel will be presented with the 2010 Medal of Freedom at a state dinner tonight. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images) (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 18: Paul Pelosi (L) and US House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi attend Tony Bennett's 85th Birthday Gala Benefit for Exploring the Arts at The Metropolitan Opera House on September 18, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Bennett) (Jemal Countess)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 04: Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi and Jon Bon Jovi attend the 6Th Annual Exploring the Arts Gala hosted by Tony Bennett And Susan Benedetto at Cipriani 42nd Street on October 4, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Exploring The Arts) (Larry Busacca)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 21: Congresswoman Nancy and her husband, Paul Pelosi are interviewed during the New York premiere of the HBO documentary Fall to Grace at Time Warner Center Screening Room on March 21, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO) (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 07: Nancy Pelosi and Paul Pelosi walk the red carpet during the 27th Annual Kennedy Center Honors at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 7, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images) (Kris Connor/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 03: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pictured with her husband, Paul Pelosi, on Capitol Hill on January 3, 2019 in Washington, DC. Under the cloud of a partial federal government shutdown, Pelosi reclaimed her former title as speaker and her fellow Democrats took control of the House of Representatives for the second time in eight years. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images) (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi arrive in the Crypt of the US Capitol for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony to be the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today's inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. (Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (2nd R) and her husband Paul Pelosi (C) arrive for a reception honoring Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife Mareva Mitsotakis in the East Room of the White House on May 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Mitsotakis for bilateral meetings earlier in the day where they talked about allied efforts to "support the people of Ukraine and impose economic costs on Russia for its unprovoked aggression," according to the White House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: Paul Pelosi, husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), arrives for a reception honoring Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife Mareva Mitsotakis in the East Room of the White House on May 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Mitsotakis for bilateral meetings earlier in the day where they talked about allied efforts to "support the people of Ukraine and impose economic costs on Russia for its unprovoked aggression," according to the White House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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