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Police in Ohio have arrested an armed man who pushed through a crowd in the direction of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton.
Getting into it: Patrick Havas, 38, of Canfield, entered the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent while Acton was speaking at the Canfield Fair and shoved his way to the front while holding up his cellphone to record, according to Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene. He was carrying two concealed pistols, brass knuckles, and a Taser. The sheriff’s office said none of the weapons were ever pulled out, and Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, who handle Acton’s security, stopped him.
He faces two misdemeanor assault counts and one count of disorderly conduct, and is in custody at the Mahoning County Jail. The sheriff’s office said it will file additional charges after consulting the county prosecutor. Records reviewed by Newsweek show he is a registered Republican and a licensed nurse, with a 2008 disorderly conduct plea and traffic fines in 2008 and 2011.
Acton was not hurt and stayed at the tent to help one person who was knocked over. In a statement, her campaign said, “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.”
Condemnations came from both parties. Gov. Mike DeWine said he spoke with Acton and that she wanted Ohioans to know she is okay, adding that violence or the threat of it at political events is always unacceptable. Republican Sen. Jon Husted said he was disturbed by the attempted attack.
The Mahoning County Republican Party said it condemned politically motivated violence in any form. Acton’s opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, said through communications director Connie Luck that candidates should be able to meet voters without worrying about threats, calling the incident completely unacceptable.
