First on CNN: Members of Pelosi family to hear 911 call and see bodycam footage
By Jamie Gangel and Jeremy Herb, CNN
Members of the Pelosi family are expected to be able to hear audio from the 911 call Paul Pelosi placed to police and see body camera footage of officers who responded to his house the night he was attacked, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Pelosi placed a 911 call during last Friday’s attack after convincing the assailant to let him go to the bathroom, where his phone was charging, and he spoke cryptically to police. The body cam footage is expected to show what police saw when Paul Pelosi opened the door and his assailant attacked him with a hammer, fracturing his skull.
David DePape, the man accused of violently attacking Pelosi last Friday, was arraigned in court Tuesday and he pleaded not guilty to a litany of state charges. He was released from a San Francisco hospital and moved to county jail on Tuesday, according to a spokesman from the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.
On Monday, the Justice Department filed federal charges against DePape for assault and attempted kidnapping. An FBI affidavit accompanying the charges provided a detailed account of the 911 call and the alleged attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
According to the affidavit, Paul Pelosi called 911 at 2:23 a.m. PT and “stated words to the effect of there is a male in the home and that the male is going to wait for Pelosi’s wife. Pelosi further conveyed that he does not know who the male is. The male said his name is David.”
DePape told federal investigators that he had broken into the Pelosi home looking for Nancy Pelosi, and he said he planned to kidnap the House speaker and break “her kneecaps” if she lied, according to the affidavit. CNN has previously reported DePape shouted, “Where’s Nancy?” as he entered the home.
Eight minutes after Paul Pelosi called 911, police officers arrived at the Pelosis’ San Francisco home. According to the affidavit, officers saw Pelosi and DePape both holding onto a hammer.
“DePape pulled the hammer from Pelosi’s hand and swung the hammer, striking Pelosi in the head,” the affidavit states. “Officers immediately went inside and were able to restrain DePape. While officers were restraining DePape, Pelosi appeared to be unconscious on the ground.”
CNN has reached out to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and the FBI for comment on plans to provide the Pelosi family with access to the evidence.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Tuesday night that after reviewing police body camera footage of the attack, he believes the suspect intended to kill Pelosi.
“What is crystal clear to me is he tried to kill Mr. Pelosi,” Scott said on “Anderson Cooper 360.”
Evidence also shows that this was clearly a break-in, the police chief said.
The 911 phone call was about three minutes long, he added, and Pelosi was able to subtly identify himself to the dispatcher, who was then able to escalate the call.
This story has been updated with additional details Tuesday.
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CNN’s Josh Campbell and Sonnet Swire contributed to this report.
