Paul Pelosi Attack Video Released: Hammer Assault Caught On Camera

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Video from the night of the hammer attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul was released by a court in San Francisco on Friday. The prosecution had previously refused to make the footage public but a judge ruled on Wednesday that it must be released.

Both video footage and a 911 audio call were released.

The 911 call is just over 3 minutes long.

"There’s a gentleman here just waiting for my wife to come back. Nancy Pelosi," Paul Pelosi can be heard calmly telling a 911 dispatcher.

"Do you need police, fire or medical for anything?" the dispatcher asks.

"I don’t think so, I don’t think so,” Paul Pelosi says. "Is the Capitol Police around? They’re usually here protecting my wife."

"I’ve got a problem, but he thinks everything’s good," Pelosi adds before adding that "[the suspect is] telling me to just put the phone down and do what he says.”

The man later identifies himself as David and tells the dispatcher that he’s "a friend of theirs."

The call eventually ends when Paul Pelosi says "he wants me to get the hell off of the phone."

The video footage captures what happened once police got to the San Francisco home (WARNING: the video is graphic and includes expletives):

Paul Pelosi video shows moment of brutal hammer attackhttps://t.co/33FWyZsZNP #PaulPelosi #NancyPelosi #DavidDePape pic.twitter.com/UB0WTnQEkb
— André Senior (@andresenior) January 27, 2023San Francisco Superior Court Judge Stephen M. Murphy ruled there was no reason to keep the footage secret, especially after prosecutors played it in court during a preliminary hearing last month, according to Thomas R. Burke, a San Francisco-based lawyer who represented news agencies in their attempt to access the evidence.

Before the clip begins, a police officer tells the intruder to drop the hammer, which Pelosi also has his hand on, trying to hold it away from him.

The body-camera footage above shows suspect David DePape wrest the tool from 82-year-old Paul Pelosi and lunge toward him the hammer over his head. The blow to Pelosi occurs out of view and the officers — one of them cursing — rush into the house and jump on DePape.

Pelosi, apparently unconscious, can be seen lying face down on the floor in his pajama top and underwear.

Before the attacker was even cuffed, police asked for backup “code 3” followed by a request for medics code 3.

Audio appears to show labored breathing.

Another video released Friday shows DePape breaking into the home, apparently using a hammer.

Paul Pelosi was asleep at the couple's San Francisco home on Oct. 28 when the break-in ocurred. Prosecutors have charged 42-year-old David DePape in connection with the attack.

During a preliminary hearing last month, prosecutors played portions of Paul Pelosi's 911 call plus footage from Capitol police surveillance cameras, body cameras worn by the two police officers who arrived at the house, and video from DePape's interview with police.

News organizations asked for copies of the video but the San Francisco District Attorney's Office refused to release it. The attack occurred just days before the 2022 midterm elections and conspiracy theories spread wildly online.

The DA's office argued that releasing the footage would allow people to manipulate it in their quest to spread false information. A judge disagreed and ordered the release.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy replaced Pelosi as speaker earlier this month after Republicans gained control of the House during the midterms.

Patch will update this breaking news story as more information becomes available. The Associated Press contributed to this story.