Two people were injured after an armed man pushed through a crowd toward Democratic Ohio gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton during a campaign appearance at the Canfield Fair, according to her campaign and local party officials.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Two people were injured Sunday when an armed man rushed toward Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton during an appearance at the Canfield Fair, knocking people to the ground before law enforcement intervened, according to Acton’s campaign and local Democratic Party officials. Acton was not injured.
The alleged perpetrator has been identified as Patrick Havas from Ohio.
The incident occurred while Acton was visiting the Mahoning County Democratic Party’s tent at the fair.
“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people,” Addie Bullock, communications director for Acton’s campaign, said in a statement.
“Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured. This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.”
Witness accounts indicated the man forced his way through people gathered near the candidate, knocking two volunteers down as he moved in Acton’s direction. Law enforcement officers quickly stopped and arrested him.
Christopher Anderson, chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, described the confrontation shortly afterward in a Facebook post.
“Moments ago during a visit from Dr. Amy Acton, an individual was arrested at the [Mahoning County Democratic Party] tent who was discovered to have weapons, after knocking volunteers to the ground,” Anderson wrote.
“Let me be clear—The Mahoning County Democratic Party abhors political violence in all forms. What happened at our tent today during today’s visit from Dr. Acton is reprehensible and should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle.”
Authorities subsequently confirmed that the man was taken into custody after attempting to move toward Acton and that weapons were found in his possession. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
From The New York Times:
Law enforcement officials stated there was no assassination attempt on Amy Acton. The local sheriff reported the suspect aggressively pushed through a crowd to ask questions, knocking over two audience members, and faced misdemeanor assault charges.
Acton is the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor and is running against Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy in the November election.
The contest remains close. Recent polling has not shown a uniform advantage for either candidate: the RealClearPolitics average had Acton ahead by 0.3 percentage points, while another polling average showed the candidates tied at 47.1% each as of Sept. 6.
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