Cummings: 'I Scared The Intruder Away' During Break-In

Rep. Elijah Cummings confirmed Friday that his Baltimore home was broken into just hours before President Donald Trump posted several tweets Saturday criticizing the congressman and his district.

"An individual attempted to gain entry into my residence [at] approximately 3:40 a.m. on Saturday, July 27," Cummings said. "I was notified of the intrusion by my security system, and I scared the intruder away by yelling before the person gained entry into the residential portion of the house."

Cummings thanked the Baltimore Police Department for its response to the break-in. Nothing was taken.

In an incident report, an officer wrote police were called to Cummings' home in the 2000 block of Madison Avenue several hours after the burglary, around 8:52 a.m. Cummings' wife, Maryland Democratic Party chair Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, told the responding officer that someone broke into their apartment building.

She described the intruder as a black man in his early 40s, 5 feet, 8 inches tall and around 170 pounds. She described him as having a dark brown complexion. At the time of the burglary, he was wearing a dark T-shirt, black tennis shoes with white socks and a black fitted hat with a red upside-down "U" on the front.

Rockeymoore Cummings said a security system motion alert notified them of the break-in through a mobile app. After Cummings yelled at the intruder, police said, Rockeymoore Cummings saw the intruder with a dark colored bicycle in their foyer and took pictures of him with her cellphone. She told police the intruder then rode away southbound on Madison Avenue.

Rockeymoore Cummings told the officer she did not call 911 at the time but did tell a police sergeant of the incident later that day. Police processed the scene for latent prints, but could not determine signs of forced entry due to an earlier and unrelated forced entry by firefighters.

Cummings lives in Baltimore year-round. The House is in recess this week, and Cummings has spent that time at events in the area.

Sources tell the 11 News I Team some one broke into the home of Congressman Elijah Cummings over the weekend. Nothing was taken, no one got hurt. Police are investigating. They may have captured the suspect on a private security camera. pic.twitter.com/0gHFJ13lUK — David Collins (@dcollinsWBAL) August 1, 2019

President Donald Trump, during a rally Thursday in Cincinnati, continued his attacks on Baltimore and Cummings. He reacted to the break-in with apparent sarcasm Friday.

"Really bad news!" Trump said. "The Baltimore house of Elijah Cummings was robbed. Too bad!"

Really bad news! The Baltimore house of Elijah Cummings was robbed. Too bad! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2019 ?

Trump's former United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, called the president's tweet "unnecessary."

This is so unnecessary. ?? — Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 2, 2019

The president told reporters later in the day that it was "too bad" that Cummings' home had been broken into and that he was just repeating what he had heard on the news. He said he meant no harm with the social media post, saying "that was really not meant as a wise-guy tweet."

Cummings' House Oversight and Reform Committee has been investigating Trump family members serving in the White House.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.