The Democrat broke her silence on the attack with a statement on Sunday, saying her husband's condition 'continues to improve'.
They said the suspect then pulled the hammer away from Mr Pelosi and used it to"violently assault" him, before being tackled by officers.
At some point, the suspect searched for the Democrat leader shouting,"Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?"San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told a news conference on Friday night that the attack on Mr Pelosi at their San Francisco home was"intentional".Mr Scott declined to comment further on a possible motive for the assault and said the investigation was ongoing.
He was quick to condemn the attack on Mr Pelosi, calling it"despicable", and drew parallels between the attack on the House speaker's husband and theSpeaking at an event in Philadelphia on Friday evening, he addressed reports that the assailant had repeated the"same chant" heard during the 6 January 2021 riots.
"Every person of good conscience needs to clearly and unambiguously stand up against the violence in our politics, regardless of what your politics are," he said. DePape, 42, has been charged with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary and several other felony charges.Mr Pelosi was rushed to hospital and underwent surgery for a skull fracture and severe injuries to his right arm and hands, a spokesperson said.