San Francisco DA Vows to Limit Access to Paul Pelosi Attack Evidence ‘As Much as Possible’

David DePape in Berkeley, Calif., on Dec. 13, 2013. Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

The San Francisco prosecutor investigating the man accused of hitting Paul Pelosi with a hammer last week is vowing to limit the public’s access to evidence surrounding the case.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said a “very limited number of family members” will be able to access evidence in the case, including police body-camera footage and the 911 call. Pelosi is the longtime husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

“For us, revealing that evidence through the media is just not what we think is appropriate,” Jenkins told the network on Thursday. “We want to make sure that this individual is held accountable for these egregious acts,” she also said. “For us, we’re going to make sure that we limit the evidence as much as possible in order to get that done.”

The evidence includes footage of the alleged hammer attack by David DePape, 42, that sent Paul Pelosi to the hospital for about six days. He was released on Thursday evening, according to the House speaker’s office.

DePape is accused of breaking into the Pelosi home when she wasn’t there before he approached Paul Pelosi while he was sleeping and asked him where his wife was, according to court documents. Later, he allegedly told investigators that he wanted to break Speaker Pelosi’s kneecaps.

In the incident, DePape allowed Pelosi to use the bathroom, where he called the police. When officers arrived, the court papers said, both DePape and Pelosi had their hand on the same hammer. They told the suspect to drop the hammer, and he swung it at Pelosi’s head, officials said.

Jenkins told CNN that DePape has been cooperative with investigators and “submitted to a lengthy interview” before he obtained a lawyer.

“What was going on in his mind as to why he did that, I can’t speak to that. But what is very clear to me from viewing that body worn camera is he tried to kill Mr. Pelosi,” San Francisco police chief Bill Scott told reporters this week.

Questions have emerged about why Pelosi’s home had no security and why Capitol Police were not monitoring cameras at the home amid Democrats’ politically charged claims that extremists are threatening U.S. institutions. Speaker Pelosi is second in line to the presidency after Vice President Kamala Harris.

On Wednesday, the Capitol Police issued a statement saying that it will carry out an internal review of its security protocols following the attack. It said that its Command Center has “access to roughly 1,800 cameras” and said there are cameras “used to actively monitor the Speaker’s San Francisco residence around the clock when she is there.”