An armed man has been arrested in the US after charging towards Amy Acton, the Democratic politician campaigning to be Ohio state governor, during an event on Sunday.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, who were working to protect Acton, told the BBC in a statement that its team had stopped the suspect before he reached Acton at Ohio’s annual Canfield Fair event.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Patrick Havas, was carrying two pistols at the time of his arrest.
Acton herself was not injured during the incident , though her campaign team said several others were hurt as the man tried to “lunge” at her.
“Dr Acton and [her husband] Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured,” a statement from her communications director said.
“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.”
Giving some detail around the alleged incident, Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that Havas, who was from Canfield, was arrested after he “aggressively shoved his way through the crowd toward Acton while holding a cell phone up”.
He knocked over two people who were using mobility scooters, Greene added.
Havas is being held at the county jail and faces two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct.
Acton’s Republican rival for the Ohio governor seat, Vivek Ramaswamy, an ally of US President Donald Trump, has condemned the incident.
Ramaswamy’s own communications director said: “Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence. What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no-one was hurt.”
The incumbent Ohio Governor, Republican Mike DeWine, similarly said there was no place for political violence at public events.
America has been rocked in recent years by numerous high-profile examples of political violence, with lawmakers being targeted in addition to attempts on Trump’s life.
At times, the violence has been deadly. High-profile conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah last September. Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were also killed at their home in Minnesota.
By BBC News
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