WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Senate staffer remained hospitalized Tuesday after police say he was attacked leaving a restaurant in Washington this weekend by a man who had been released from federal prison a day earlier.
The suspect, Glynn Neal, 42, was arrested on a charge of assault with intent to kill after Saturday’s attack. The federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press Neal had been released from a federal prison in Maryland on Friday.
Investigators believe the attack was random. The victim, Philip Todd — who works for Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky — told investigators he had never seen his attacker before and that Neal didn’t say or demand anything before he stabbed him.
He said Neal had appeared from around a corner and attacked him as he was walking with a friend.
Neal had been released after earning so-called “good time credit” as part of a bipartisan criminal justice overhaul known as the First Step Act that was signed into law by former President Donald Trump.
Police found Neal after officer saw a cell phone that was dropped at the scene. Court documents obtained by AP said Neal told officers he heard a voice “telling him that someone was going to get him” shortly before the attack.
Todd suffered a punctured lung and potential brain bleeding, according to court documents.
A defense attorney for Neal did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
__
Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this story.
