US police video appears to show an assailant striking Paul Pelosi with a hammer. -AP
San Francisco police have released dramatic video footage of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, being struck by a hammer as police rushed in to stop his attacker.
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The police body camera footage was released on Friday alongside a surveillance video showing the alleged attacker, David DePape, 42, smashing through a glass window to get into the couple's San Francisco home as well as a 911 call from a distressed Paul Pelosi, who was talking to the dispatcher with DePape apparently beside him.
In the body cam footage, two police officers knock on the door at the Pelosis' home.
When the door opens, Pelosi and DePape can both be seen clutching a large hammer.
DePape tells police officers that "Everything's good," at which point the officers instruct him to drop the hammer.
DePape then appears to tear the hammer fully away from Pelosi, who is in sleep wear, before striking Pelosi with a powerful overhand blow.
The two officers then charge inside - one of them shouting an expletive - tackling DePape.
DePape has been indicted on federal attempted kidnapping and assault charges as well as state charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, elder abuse, false imprisonment and threatening a public official.
