Senate staffer stabbed over the weekend suffered punctured lung, potential internal brain bleeding, police say

Washington — A U.S. Senate staffer suffered potential brain bleeding and a punctured lung in a stabbing attack Saturday, according to a police affidavit reviewed by CBS News. According to the affidavit, Glynn Neal, 42, attacked and stabbed Phil Todd as he exited a northeast Washington, D.C., restaurant.  

The victim is a staffer of Republican Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, according to a statement issued by the senator. Todd and the alleged attacker did not know each other, the police affidavit said. Todd’s statement to police, as detailed in the affidavit, indicated the stabbing was random in nature, with Todd saying the suspect did not say anything to him or demand anything before the alleged attack. Police described it as a “random, violent attack.”

The police affidavit said Neal jumped on top of Todd during the attack and stabbed at Todd’s head and upper body. The police report said a friend of Todd’s helped push Neal off of Todd, allowing Todd and his friend to run off and escape.  

The police report said officers found a bloody knife near the crime scene.

The affidavit stated that Todd was stabbed on the left side of his head and that the knife, “penetrated the skull and likely caused an internal brain bleed.” Todd also suffered another deep stab wound to the left of his torso that punctured his lung, the affidavit said. Police said Todd would be undergoing initial surgery to deal with the punctured lung and any possible internal bleeding. A second surgery would be scheduled to deal with the potential brain bleed after a neurological consultation, according to the police report.

Todd also suffered a “minor puncture wound” on the left side of his chest and a cut to his left ear that might require reconstruction, the affidavit said.

According to a court docket in D.C. Superior Court, Neal faces a charge of assault with attempt to kill. The court docket also showed Neal had in recent days completed serving a 12-year prison sentence for a separate felony case in D.C. 

Neal is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing April 6 in D.C. Superior Court.

“This past weekend a member of my staff was brutally attacked in broad daylight in Washington, D.C.,” Paul said Monday in a statement. “I ask you to join Kelley and me in praying for a speedy and complete recovery, and thanking the first responders, hospital staff, and police for their diligent actions. We are relieved to hear the suspect has been arrested. At this time we would ask for privacy so everyone can focus on healing and recovery.”

The police report indicated investigators connected a cellphone found near the crime scene to Neal. When officers arrived at his home to question Neal, they found he had lip and pinky injuries that appeared fresh, the affidavit said.

The attack on Todd is the second high-profile assault near or on Capitol Hill this year involving an alleged repeat offender. A D.C. man, with a history of criminal cases, is charged with a federal crime for an alleged assault against Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat representing Minnesota’s second district, in February in an elevator in Craig’s Capitol Hill apartment complex.

The attack against Todd occurred along Washington, D.C.’s H Street Northeast, approximately 1.5 miles from the U.S. Senate office buildings. 

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to discuss Washington, D.C.’s crime rate and the District’s response to violent crimes at a committee hearing Wednesday.

A defense attorney for Neal did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CBS News.