Capitol Police Identifies Suspect In Baseball Bat Attack On House Dem’s Staff

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) identified the suspect in the alleged baseball bat attack on staffers for Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) at his district office in Fairfax, Virginia, on Monday.

Xuan Kha Tran Pham, a 49-year-old man from Fairfax, Virginia, is the individual who has been arrested and charged in connection to the incident, the federal law enforcement agency said in a statement.

“At approximately 10:49 a.m. on Monday, May 15, a man entered Representative Connolly’s District Office. Two Congressional staffers were assaulted with a metal bat and received non-life threatening injuries. Congressman Connolly was not in the office at the time of the assaults,” the Capitol Police said.

“The Fairfax City Police Department responded and arrested the suspect. At this time, it is not clear what the suspect’s motivation may have been. Based on what we know right now, investigators do not have any information that the suspect was known to the USCP,” the statement added. “Special Agents with the United States Capitol Police Threat Assessment Section were dispatched to Fairfax, Virginia. The Department simultaneously coordinated with our partners at the Fairfax City Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office.”

Connolly announced earlier in the day that his two staffers had been transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The congressman said a man wielding a baseball bat attacked the staffers after asking for the congressman.

“Right now, our focus is on ensuring they are receiving the care they need. We are incredibly thankful to the City of Fairfax Police Department and emergency medical professionals for their quick response,” Connolly said in his statement.

“I have the best team in Congress. My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day,” the congressman said. “The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”

The suspect faces one count of Aggravated Malicious Wounding and one count of Malicious Wounding, the USCP said. An investigation by the USCP and the Fairfax City Police Department is ongoing.

As noted by the USCP in its press release, last month Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger testified about the challenge of contending with a roughly 400% increase in threats against members of Congress over the past six years.

“Over the course of the last year, the world has continuously changed, becoming more violent and uncertain,” Manger added.

‘Aladdin’ Star Deactivated His Twitter Account Following Backlash For His ‘Little Mermaid’ Prediction

Aladdin” actor Mena Massoud appears to have deactivated his Twitter account after he made a “Little Mermaid” prediction that was ill-received by Disney fans. 

Massoud has been under attack by Disney fans ever since Saturday, when he wrote, “Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It’s the only way we reached the billion-dollar mark with our opening. My guess is TLM doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel.”

His comments appeared to be in response to reports predicting that “The Little Mermaid” will rake in at least $110 million over Memorial Day weekend, per TMZ.

Massoud is best known for starring in Disney’s live-action take on the classic, in which he plays the titular character opposite Will Smith’s genie. “Aladdin” also premiered over that year’s Memorial Day holiday and brought in $116.8 million in domestic ticket sales. It earned more than $1 billion at the global box office within two months.

Many social media users took Mena’s comments as a negative for “Little Mermaid,” and said he was trying to say the new live-action film wasn’t worth getting a sequel. The film’s supporters were especially sensitive considering the backlash the film received ahead of its release — criticism some claim is due to racism. The lead actress playing Ariel, Halle Bailey, is black.

“First off who the hell is Mena Massoud? We all know Will Smith was the main reason we all went to see Aladdin. And I’ll stand 10 toes down for TLM,” one Twitter user wrote. “This is exactly why we need to pack every theater up on May 26th. Bring your kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids. The entire Family!”

“Aladdin tried it,” another user wrote. “…let’s show up and show out for the little mermaid like we did for black panther. Tired of these folks trying Halle like she isn’t THAT girl. Stunningggg and extremely talented. Bye devil! Declaring her movie sales will be over 1.7 Bill. You watch God work.”

Early reviews of “The Little Mermaid” are not great, as The Daily Wire previously reported. Moviegoers are complaining that the story is not original and feels unnecessary, especially when compared to the 1989 animated film it’s based upon.

One reviewer said the movie was, “filled with a few great performances from Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, but it’s a mostly paint-by-numbers remake that isn’t as good as the animated masterpiece.”

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