An armed individual attacked Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and injured multiple people at a campaign event on Sunday near Youngstown, according to her campaign.
“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people,” communications director Addie Bullock said in a statement. “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.” Acton was not injured in the incident, according to Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH).
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Chris Anderson, the chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, said the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Patrick Havas, had been taken into police custody and was armed with multiple weapons after knocking “several campaign volunteers” to the ground. Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene said Havas is expected to be charged with two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct, according to WFMJ, and knocked over “two older adults” in the incident. Local officials say Havas entered a tent Acton was speaking under and pushed people aside to get to the front of the crowd.
Acton’s opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, condemned the attack in a statement.
“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” campaign communications director Connie Luck said. “What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt.”
Officials also said two handguns and a set of brass knuckles were recovered from Havas, but specified that no weapons were brandished during the incident.
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“We are grateful for the work of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement on the scene at the Canfield Fair today when a man tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton as she was speaking,” DeWine said. “Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable.”
This was Acton’s second campaign event of the Labor Day weekend, as she campaigned alongside former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg outside Cincinnati on Saturday.
