An armed assailant lunged at the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Amy Acton, on Sunday during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, injuring several people, campaign officials said.
The suspect knocked volunteers to the ground and was arrested with “multiple weapons,” Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson said in a statement.
Acton was not injured, but campaign officials said multiple people were hurt.
Law enforcement officials have not provided details on the incident.
Wayne Penny Jr., a Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 59th State House District, told CBS News that hecklers had gathered at the Democratic Party’s tent when one of them “bum-rushed through the crowd” in Acton’s direction.
“He literally bull-rushed through the crowd, knocked our volunteers down, ran through, pushed and knocked the elderly gentleman over with Parkinson’s, and the gentleman hit his head and fell,” Penny said. “The highway patrol jumped on him, or security detail, and arrested him on site.”
Penny said after the man was detained, he saw brass knuckles had fallen off his fingers and a gun was exposed.
Acton was “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,” said Addie Bullock, communications director for the campaign.
Acton is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who has parlayed his national name recognition, tech industry connections and alliance with President Donald Trump into a record fundraising haul that he is tapping for advertising spots aimed at the November election. He is using campaign rallies and advertising to criticize Acton, the state’s former public health director.
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Ramaswamy called the incident on Sunday unacceptable.
“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,” Ramaswamy’s communications director, Connie Luck, said in a statement Sunday.
The fairground’s police department referred inquiries to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department, which didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. The Ohio State Highway Patrol didn’t immediately respond to a request for information.
“Fran and I are thankful Dr. Amy Acton was not hurt, and we send our thoughts to those who were injured,” Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement. “We spoke to Dr. Acton this afternoon and she said to share with Ohioans that she is ok.”
“Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable,” he added.
