Congressional staffer attacked near Nationals Park following charity baseball game

WASHINGTON (7News) — Early Thursday morning, hours after the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity, a congressional staffer was attacked.

The scene was a typically bustling part of D.C., just steps away from Nationals Park.

According to the police report, it was just after 3:00 a.m. when the victim was pushed to the ground and had a handgun pointed at him outside of his apartment building on Van Street.

The victim, identified as a staffer for Minnesota Congressman Brad Finstad, was able to run and escape the would-be robbers without giving them anything.

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Rep. Finstad, who played in the Congressional Baseball Game the night before, responded to the incident with a statement.

“In Washington, D.C. and cities across the country, anti-police, soft-on-crime policies have created lawless societies that endanger the public and empower criminal behavior,” wrote Rep. Finstad. “It’s time we started treating criminals like criminals and bring back commonsense policies that imprison career criminals, keep the public safe, and allow our police officers to adequately protect our communities and keep violent criminals off the streets.”

D.C. leaders are well aware of the issue after a series of high-profile, violent incidents in the area.

Among the recent incidents: a 20-year-old was shot and killed outside the Navy Yard-Ballpark Metro station in January. A shootout on 11th St. SE back in March left two others dead. A few weeks later, police said a man stole a Jeep and crashed it into four other cars.

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In the coming weeks, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she will work to address one part of the problem by calling for a change in the law.

“…I have a piece of legislation in front of council,” she said. “There’s going to be a hearing on June 27th that addresses how people who have committed crimes can be detained until the trial happens.”

The staffer who was attacked was able to run away from the would-be robbers without giving them anything, and Rep. Finstad said he only received minor injuries.