Law enforcement officers confiscated 10 guns and addressed accusations of domestic abuse following the emergency hospitalization of President Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale.
Parscale’s wife, Candice, was bruised when police arrived to assist her husband after she called police out of fear that he was going to harm himself in their home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday night. She told authorities that her husband, who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, hit her last week, leaving bruises on her arms, according to documents from the police department.
Candice added that Parscale had been “depressed and suicidal recently,” which led him to “consume alcohol a lot more frequently and make suicidal statements.” Authorities confiscated 10 guns from his home, including several rifles.
Body camera footage from the incident showed Candice meeting the officers outside the home. She told officers that he was “acting crazy” and that he had a gun. The officer called Parscale, who was still inside the home, and coaxed him to come outside. When he left the home with only a beer in his hand, several officers tackled him and placed him in handcuffs to bring him to the hospital.
Fort Lauderdale Police Department also released the audio from the 911 call. In the call, a Realtor who had been showing a home near the Parscale property alerted the operator that Candice had approached her and said that she feared Parscale had “shot himself” because she heard a gunshot.
Candice, who could also be heard in the audio, said she did not want to go in the home because she did not want to see anything if he had harmed himself. She said Parscale had been “ranting and raving” when he cocked the gun in front of her before she went outside. The woman who called 911 also noticed the bruising on Candice’s body and can be heard asking her about it in the call.
“What are those marks? Oh no. Did he do that? Oh my gosh, your arm. Both your arms. Has he been hurting you?” she asked.
Candice’s answer was cut off as officers arrived on the scene. The officers noted in their reports that Parscale complied with their directions throughout the arrest.
Parscale was Trump’s campaign manager from February 2018 until July, when he was replaced by Bill Stepien. He remained on the campaign as a senior adviser for digital and data. The campaign released a statement on Sunday night calling Parscale a member of its “family.”
Parscale was detained for medical help under the Baker Act, a Florida law that allows families to have a loved one detained if they are believed to be a danger to themselves or others. The Baker Act also allows law enforcement to confiscate temporarily any weapons owned by the individual in need of help.
