Republican Senator’s Female Staffer Robbed at Gunpoint in DC

A staff member for Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt was robbed at gunpoint in DC on Thursday night.

Amanda Peper, Britt’s scheduler, had parked her car around 8:20 p.m. and was walking to her apartment building when the robbery occurred.

According to a report from Fox 5 DC, the robber approached her, pointed a gun at her face, and said, “Give me your purse and keys.”

Peper complied and handed over her belongings.

The robber took her purse, got into her car, and fled.

“We thank God that she is safe and sound after this terrifying incident, and we’re grateful to the Capitol Police Department and Metropolitan Police Department officers who quickly and professionally responded to the scene,” Senator Britt said in a statement.

Sen. Britt blamed the rising crime in the city and urged leaders to do more to combat it.

“It is infuriating and completely unacceptable that an American who is on Capitol Hill to serve her country cannot safely walk the streets of Washington, D.C. at 8:30 at night because of the out-of-control crime in this city,” the senator continued. “Just look at the police department’s own numbers – this year, robberies are up 68% and motor vehicle thefts are up 102%. Local elected officials in the District of Columbia have the responsibility not just to their citizens, but to the country, to step up and get a hold of the crime crisis ravaging the streets of our nation’s capital.”

Fox News reports that this is not the first time a Capitol Hill worker has been victimized this year:

Earlier this month, Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was carjacked at gunpoint by three men.

In March, Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said that a member of his staff was “brutally attacked.”

In February, Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig was attacked in an elevator at her apartment building before fighting off her attacker.