Minnesota congresswoman defended herself from an attacker in DC elevator by throwing hot coffee at him

• A Minnesota lawmaker was attacked in the elevator of her Washington DC building, her office said.
• A police report said she threw hot coffee at him after the attacker punched her in the face.

A Minnesota congresswoman defended herself from an attacker in her Washington DC apartment building's elevator by throwing hot coffee at him, a police report said.

Rep. Angie Craig was assaulted in the elevator on Thursday morning, her chief of staff said in a statement.

"Craig defended herself from the attacker and suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically okay," the statement said.

Craig told investigators that the man followed her into the elevator and "began to randomly do push ups" after she said good morning to him in the building's lobby.

The man then "punched her on the chin area of her face, and later grabbed her neck," the police report said, according to Bloomberg.

Craig "defended herself by tossing her hot coffee" at him, it added.

Craig then called 911 and the attacker fled the scene, according to the chief of staff's statement.

"There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated," the statement added.

Police said on Thursday night that a man had been arrested.

The District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department said that 26-year-old Kendrick Hamlin, who also goes by Hamlin Khalil Hamlin, had been arrested and charged with assault.

The man had been "acting erratic as if he was under the influence on an unknown substance," when in the building lobby, the police report said.

Police said he had "no fixed address."

Craig, a Democrat, represents Minnesota's 2nd district and was first elected to Congress in 2018.