A man who attacked a congresswoman in the elevator of a Washington, D.C. apartment building on Thursday has been arrested, police say.
Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig fought back by throwing hot coffee at the attacker, according to a police report.
Kendrick Hamlin is accused of punching her and grabbing her neck.
The 26-year-old, of no fixed address, has been charged with simple assault. The case is not considered politically motivated.
Elected to Congress in 2018, Ms. Craig, 50, is an openly gay mother of four and serves as co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus.
Police say the attack took place at around 07:10 local time (12:10 GMT) on Thursday.
His chief of staff, Nick Coe, said in a statement that he “defended himself from the attacker and suffered injuries, but is otherwise physically fine”.
She called 911 emergency services and “the assailant fled the scene”.
She said Ms. Craig thanked the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department “for their prompt response and requested privacy at this time.”
According to a public incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department, Ms. Craig told investigators that a man was walking erratically and possibly under the influence of drugs in the lobby of her apartment building in the busy H Street area near Capitol Hill. The effect was working.
When she got into the elevator, the man followed her inside and “randomly started doing push-ups” after she said good morning, the report said.
The man allegedly punched Miss Craig in the chin and grabbed her by the neck.
She reportedly defended herself by throwing hot coffee at the attacker.
Police previously released a photo of the suspect and asked for the public’s help in identifying him.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Cox was “appalled” by the attack.
US Senator Amy Klobuchar tweeted: “Just to show you how strong Angie is, she went straight to the hill this morning and attended a meeting… No one messes with Angie.”
Ms. Craig serves in Minnesota’s 2nd District, an area south of downtown St. Paul.
Last year, Congress approved funding to increase security for lawmakers, who receive thousands of threats each year.
