It’s not uncommon to see reports of lawmakers like Rashida Talib, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez targeted for harassment. Ocasio-Cortez has detailed the sad and astounding steps she’s forced to take each day in order to protect herself due to death threats. On Saturday, a frightening incident occurred at her New York office in which a man was apprehended for breaking in and vandalizing the place.
AOC INTRUDER: Police in Queens say an emotionally disturbed person broke into Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's office and started spraying a fire extinguisher Saturday. https://t.co/Kao3Ycvree #CBSNewYork
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) June 16, 2019
It doesn’t appear as if this attack was targeted harrassment, however. A young, mentally ill man entered the office, sprayed the inside down with a fire extinguisher, and was holding a broken bottle when the fog cleared and police were able to see him. A local CBS affiliate in New York reports that:
‘Sources tell CBS2 the 24-year-old suspect entered the building on 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights around 4:40 p.m. and was discharging a fire extinguisher when officers arrived.
‘The man then reportedly ran into a closet inside the freshman congresswoman’s office.’
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shares grim morning routine of dealing with death threats https://t.co/xfJjNRqOWa pic.twitter.com/UPBX07X9CO
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 29, 2019
The man was eventually transferred to a hospital for treatment once police were able to convince him to come out a closet where he hid. He was apparently incoherent and didn’t express any particular dislike for the New York congresswoman. All the same, the fact that he was able to enter the offices at all is frightening.
‘While inside, police were able to talk the unstable suspect down. He then came out holding a broken glass bottle but did not do anything threatening with it and was taken into custody.
‘Ocasio-Cortez was reportedly not at the office at the time of the bizarre incident.’
?A man is in police custody after trespassing in #AOC’s district office in Queens on #Saturday. The unidentified man sprayed a fire extinguisher & hid in the closet inside the district offices until police were able to get him out.
Thank God AOC is in DChttps://t.co/gov4M0dFlB
— Brravehart ☘️?? (@Brravehart09) June 16, 2019
The 24-year-old will most likely face charges once he has received treatment, and the incident luckily ended well. However, the incident raises many questions about security and how to keep our legislative officials safe.
‘Authorities added that the suspect did not make any political statements about the polarizing New York politician and was more incoherent at the time of his arrest.’
For more on this story, see video below:
Featured image via Flickr by Dimitri Rodriguez under a Creative Commons license
