Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., was attacked and robbed Tuesday night while walking near Capitol Hill, suffering a blow to the head that caused her to temporarily lose consciousness.
Meng suffered a bruise on her chin and underwent a CAT scan at George Washington University Hospital after the perpetrator came up behind her and struck her in the back of the head. Meng said she lost briefly consciousness but suffered no serious injuries and was back to work in the House by Wednesday afternoon.
"While this was a frightening ordeal, I fortunately was not seriously injured," Meng said in the statement. "Obviously, things could have been much worse. I thank the U.S. Capitol Police and the District of Columbia Police for responding quickly and professionally."
Meng, 38, is a freshman Democrat who represents parts of Queens.
Meng was walking towards her Washington apartment after having dinner at a D.C. restaurant when she was struck near Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. As she fell to the ground, the perpetrator took her Gucci handbag, then fled on foot. She initially was disoriented and unable to tell investigators where the robbery took place, according to the police report.
Capitol Police are leading the investigation into the incident. No arrests have been made.
"Of course it's scary, this could happen to anyone, male, female, young, old, and it's just another opportunity to remind people to exercise caution when they're walking," Meng told reporters late Wednesday. "And I'm very thankful because the situation could have been a lot worse, my tests from the hospital all came out negative so I'm fortunate."