911 call Paul Pelosi made on night of hammer attack played by prosecutors
Prosecutors played the 911 call Paul Pelosi made the night he was violently attacked in his and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home in court on Wednesday, as they presented new evidence while arguing to have the case go to trial.
In a nearly four-hour hearing in San Francisco Superior Court, prosecutors first submitted the 911 call Paul Pelosi made after authorities say David DePape broke into the couple's home early on Oct. 28.
"Are the Capitol police around? I got a problem. A gentleman just came into my house, waiting for my wife to come home," Paul Pelosi could be heard saying on the call.
When the operator asked for his name, he responded," "Paul Pelosi. He told me to put down the phone."
"What is his name?" the operator asked.
Another man could then be heard shouting into the speakerphone, "David DePape."
DePape, 42, from Richmond, California, is facing multiple state charges, including attempted murder, residential burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, for allegedly attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer at the couple's San Francisco home.
The judge ruled that DePape will face trial on the charges. He is due back in court on Dec. 28 for arraignment.
In addition to the 911 call, prosecutors showed body-camera footage from the responding officers for the first time and presented the hammer they said was used in the attack.
One of the officers who responded testified that DePape was rambling about lying Democrats, while an investigator who took the stand said she interviewed Paul Pelosi after the attack, during which he said DePape woke him up, asking, "Where's Nancy?"
Investigators also said DePape had a hit list that included California Gov. Gavin Newsom, actor Tom Hanks and President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden.
Following the hearing, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told ABC San Francisco station KGO that her office will "prepare accordingly" when asked about DePape potentially pleading insanity.
DePape's public defender, Adam Lipson, had no comments about the case afterward, saying DePape "is going to be fighting this case in court, not the hallway."
During an arraignment last month, DePape pleaded not guilty to the charges through his public defender and denied all allegations.
DePape also faces federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping. He pleaded not guilty to those charges last month and remains held without bail.
According to the federal complaint, DePape allegedly used a hammer to break into the Pelosi residence in the upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco just before 2 a.m. local time on Oct. 28. The intruder then went upstairs, where 82-year-old Paul Pelosi was asleep, and demanded to talk to "Nancy," according to the complaint.
Paul Pelosi reportedly told DePape that he needed to use the bathroom, allowing him to get his cellphone and call 911. Two police officers arrived minutes later and entered the home, encountering DePape and Paul Pelosi struggling over a hammer, police said. The officers told the men to drop the hammer, at which time DePape allegedly gained control of the hammer and swung it, striking Paul Pelosi in the head.
Paul Pelosi suffered a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, though he is expected to make a full recovery, Nancy Pelosi's spokesperson said following the attack.
