Suspect in Paul Pelosi hammer attack identified; reportedly asked ‘Where is Nancy?’

Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked with a hammer by an intruder in the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday morning.

Officials identified the suspect as David DePape, 42, whose social media accounts suggest a predilection for far-right conspiracy theories and a fixation on government surveillance.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said when officers arrived before 3 a.m. Friday, they found an adult male and Paul Pelosi both holding a hammer. The assailant allegedly pulled the hammer from Pelosi and beat him with it, Scott said.

DePape was booked on suspicion of attempted homicide, assault with deadly weapon and elder abuse.

Law enforcement officials did not take questions at a news conference Friday morning.

Pelosi, 82, suffered blunt force trauma to his head and body and was being treated for bruising, severe swelling and other injuries, according to the AP.

Paul Pelosi was hospitalized and expected to make a full recovery and the assailant is in police custody. The motivation for the attack was not immediately apparent, officials said, but according to reports citing unnamed sources, the attacker entered the home asking “where is Nancy?”

Nancy Pelosi was in Washington, D.C. at the time of the break-in, according to the U.S. Capitol Police.

“The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time,” Hammill said.

DePape also remained hospitalized as of Friday morning.

A person identifying himself as DePape maintained a blog where he outlined a litany of conspiratorial beliefs about how America’s “elites/ruling class,” including government officials, tech companies and the media, censor information seen by the public.

The blog, which lists DePape as the author is titled “ godisloving.wordpress.com,” includes posts from as recently as August. The banner on the blog reads, “Welcome to Big Brothers Censorship Hell.”

A post on Aug. 25, is titled “The woke are Racists with a guilty conscience.” Another post from Aug. 25 suggests DePape opposes restrictions on gun owners. The post, titled “Gun Rights,” states that Big Brother and is plotting to consolidate the “power necessary to strip you of all agency and ability to resist the tyranny you are currently sliding into.”

Other posts outline DePape’s views about women and gender in society. In a post from Aug. 24, he wrote that the “narrative is to hate men and cater to women because women are more easily manipulated using group think.”

He also apparently followed the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory, as evidenced by an Aug. 24 post titled “Q” that included images of Jeffrey Epstein. Another post from the same day includes a meme states “Give us your children to indoctrinate into our satanic pedophile communist cult.”

More recently, a person who identified themself as DePape wrote a series of bigoted, erratic and conspiracy-laden blog posts on the website frenlyfrens.com. In an antisemitic post a few days ago, they wrote about the war in Ukraine and suggested it was a ploy to benefit Jews.

Ron DePape, who said David DePape is his brother’s stepson from a previous marriage, said he woke up to the news and has been “sick over it.”

“We don’t have any contact with him and just feeling sad and sorry for the Pelosi family,” Ron DePape said. “It’s just a sad event. It has to be mental health issues that he’s been carrying around I would think.” Ron DePape, who lives in Powell River, British Columbia, said David DePape lived in Powell River for a short time before leaving “at an early age” to follow a girlfriend who lived in the U.S.

“He refused contact with any family,” Ron DePape said. “He just kind of disappeared.”

U.S. Capitol Police assisted the FBI and San Francisco police in investigating the event.

Pantea Grover, a neighbor who said she knows the Pelosis, said she was shocked by the incident.

She said that she normally feels very safe in the neighborhood because it has its own security, and seeing the police cars on her street this morning alarmed her.

“I don’t even know what to say,” she said, calling the incident a tragedy. “It’s very, very, very sad what has happened, and I hope he is okay.”

The Pelosis’ Pacific Heights home has been the scene of several protests in recent years. During debates over the federal stimulus package in January 2021, the garage was spray-painted with political graffiti and a pig’s head was left on the sidewalk.

After video showed Nancy Pelosi getting her hair done at a salon during pandemic shutdowns, stylists protested outside the home with curling irons. Members of the Chinese community held a demonstration there before before Pelosi’s recent trip to Taiwan, the AP reported.

The attack happened as members of Congress are facing a rise in threats to their safety. In recent years, lawmakers have seen a shooting at a baseball practice, the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and many incidences of threats to specific members.

President Joe Biden said he spoke to Nancy Pelosi to express his support, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. Biden said he “continues to condemn all violence, and asks that the family’s desire for privacy be respected.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the attack a “dastardly act” and said he spoke to Nancy Pelosi to convey his concern and wishes.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., tweeted her prayers for Nancy and Paul Pelosi and called the violence “horrific.” Jayapal was targeted in July by a man carrying a gun and yelling obscenities and threats outside her home. The man was charged with felony stalking.

Chronicle staff writers Mallory Moench, J.D. Morris and Dustin Gardiner contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Shira Stein is The San Francisco Chronicle’s Washington correspondent. Danielle Echeverria and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: shira.stein@sfchronicle.com danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @shiramstein @DanielleEchev @meganrcassidy