FAIRFAX, Va. – A man was arraigned on charges involving baseball bat attacks on three women on Monday in Fairfax, including two staff members in Congressman Gerry Connolly’s office.
Armed with a metal baseball bat, 49year-old Xuan-Kha Tran Pham walked into the northern Virginia City of Fairfax district office of U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly on Monday, asked for the congressman, then struck two of his workers with the bat.
Pham was indicted on four counts including aggravated wounding and malicious aggravated wounding in the attack at Connolly’s district office in Fairfax, and counts of felony destroying property and misdemeanor hate crime for an episode less than an hour earlier, when police say he hit a car windshield with the bat and chased a woman after asking if she was white.
An investigation is ongoing and the suspect’s motivations aren’t clear.
According to Pham’s father, Hy Pham, his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been dealing with mental illness since his late teens.
He also added he’s been trying without success to arrange mental health care for his son.
An intern working her first day on the job was struck in her side and an outreach director was hit on the head. Both staffers were taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Capitol Police and Fairfax City Police are investigating the case. A motive is unclear at this time.