Charlottesville police are investigating a scuffle that occurred during a campaign stop for Sen. George Allen, officials said.
In video widely shown on the Internet and television, Mike Stark, 38, a liberal blogger and University of Virginia law student, was tackled by Allen supporters after accosting Allen at a Charlottesville hotel.
Stark filed an assault report Tuesday and has told reporters he would like to press charges. Dan Allen, one of the Allen supporters, said he wants to press charges too. Allen is not related to the senator.
Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo said his officers are conducting an investigation into the attack to see if charges will be pressed. Investigators have served warrants asking two local television stations to provide video footage of the incident, he said.
The footage will allow police to see who provoked whom and identify those involved, Longo said.
“Obviously, there will be two sides of the story,” Longo said. It is “film footage prior to the actual contact that will be helpful to us.”
“Is that what people will think about when they vote? I doubt it. It is one of those incidents that marks the campaign trail but is quickly forgotten,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
