Rep. Angie Craig describes fighting off convicted criminal who allegedly punched her in the face:

Rep. Angie Craig spotted Kendrid Hamlin in the lobby of her Capitol Hill apartment complex just after 7 a.m. Thursday after grabbing coffee and saying good morning to the man, who police believe to be homeless.

But Hamlin followed Craig to an elevator, trapped her and demanded to go inside her apartment. Hamlin was “acting erratic as if he was under the influence of an unknown substance.”

“That was the moment that fight or flight kicked in,” Craig, a Democrat from Minnesota, told CBS News.

Hamlin punched Craig in the face and grabbed her by the shoulder and collarbone, police said.

“All I could do was throw my coffee over my shoulder, which startled him,” Craig said. “But as soon as he regained, he came back toward me, and again, it was only until we got to the floor the elevator was headed to that I was able to escape.”

When police tracked down Hamlin, they said he kicked an officer and bit a detective.

A CBS News review found that Hamlin had a lengthy track record of crimes on and near Capitol Hill. Weeks ago, he served time for striking a police officer and spitting blood at officers. Other recent arrests were for shoplifting and assault at a train station. He also pleaded guilty to indecent exposure, and admitted to entering a woman’s home in 2015 and stealing a computer.

His latest attack, on Craig, is raising questions about the treatment of repeat offenders who may be mentally ill.

Craig is now calling for changes to prevent known criminals from targeting new victims.

“I was assault No. 13 on his record,” Craig said. “And I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure there’s not a 14, a 15, a 20.”

“If you throw somebody in jail for 10 days and think, ‘There’s your punishment, and we’re gonna let you right back on the street,’ what the hell do you think’s gonna happen?” Craig said.  

The attack occurred as Craig began her fifth year in Congress, which has grappled for years with criminal justice reform. Just last week, lawmakers debated a bill on how to prevent repeat offenders.

One congressional proposal just released would require local prosecutors to better track how many defendants have criminal pasts, how many are given plea agreements and how many have been released to potentially reoffend.

Hamlin is back in court on Wednesday. His defense attorney did not respond to requests for comment.