ABC News Live host Linsey Davis Phillips says she was attacked near her network’s Washington, D.C., bureau on Monday, just hours before President Donald Trump announced sweeping federal action to address crime in the nation’s capital.
The measures include placing the city’s police department under federal control and deploying National Guard troops into the streets.
Reporting live from the District, Phillips told viewers that, despite official data showing some categories of crime declining, the problem remains widespread.
“We can talk about the numbers going down, but crime is happening every single day because we’re all experiencing it firsthand, working and living down here,” she said.
Phillips explained that the assault occurred only two blocks from the ABC bureau.
She specified that the suspect was not a juvenile, noting, “It was not a minor, though.”
She added that similar incidents have affected her colleagues. “It’s happened to a lot of people in our building, sadly.”
The journalist said she was “jumped” and identified her attacker as a homeless man who was “half-dressed” and “clearly wasn’t in his clear mind.”
Describing the encounter, Phillips said, “It was scary as hell, I’m not going to lie, but I fought back. I didn’t see