Democratic Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig, who was assaulted in her Washington, D.C., apartment in early February, spoke out about her attacker being set free 12 times prior to the attack and pledged to do everything she could to stop him from assaulting a fourteenth victim.
Craig and 31 Democrats voted Thursday in favor of a resolution to block the Washington, D.C., Council’s Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, which would have lowered penalties for several violent offenses. In a Tuesday interview with CBS, she mentioned that her attacker, Kendrick Hamlin — also known as Hamlin Khalil Hamlin — was freed after attacking her despite there being 12 other alleged assaults on his record.
“I was assault number 13 on his record, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure there is not a 14,” Craig said in the interview.
“I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine that morning,” Craig added. “And so I think we have to think about how in the world can we make sure that we’re not just letting criminals out.”
WATCH:
“I was assault no. 13 on his record, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure there is not a 14”: @RepAngieCraig says she fought off a man in her D.C. apartment building — and is now calling for changes to prevent known criminals from targeting new victims. pic.twitter.com/iumGJiQ1I9
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 14, 2023
“I mean, it wasn’t even in every instance that he got 10 days or 30 days. Many times, the charges were completely dropped before any justice was achieved at all,” she continued. “If you throw somebody in jail for 10 days and think, ‘There’s your punishment, and we’re gonna let you right back on the street,’ what the hell do you think’s gonna happen?” (RELATED: Hours After Being Assaulted In DC, Dem Congresswoman Voted To Overturn Weakened DC Criminal Code)
“We have to get these repeat offenders off the streets. We also have got to figure out how we get people the mental health and addiction help that they need because these people are getting back out and just recommitting the same crimes over and over and over again,” Craig said in the interview. (RELATED: House Passes Legislation To Block DC’s New Crime Law)
Congress can exercise authority over D.C. local affairs, according to the District Clause of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17), and Congress reviews all D.C. legislation before it can become law. Congress can change or even overturn D.C. legislation and can impose new laws on the district.
In Nov. 2022, the D.C. Council approved the Revised Criminal Code Act (RCCA). The RCCA reduces penalties for certain violent criminal offenses, including carjackings, robberies and homicides. Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the bill on Jan. 4. The council then overrode Bowser’s veto Jan. 17 by a vote of 12-1.
Violent crime in D.C. surged throughout 2021. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) data shows that the number of homicides increased 19 percent in 2020 and remained constant into 2021, the Washingtonian reported. Carjackings have tripled since 2019.
MPD told the Daily Caller it does not release individuals’ criminal records.