An armed man was arrested Sunday after forcing his way through a crowd toward Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, according to the authorities.
Dr. Acton was giving a speech at the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent at a fair in Canfield, in the northeastern part of the state, when a man pushed through the crowd, knocking over two elderly audience members, according to the county sheriff, Jerry Greene, and two witnesses. The man did not draw his weapons, according to Sheriff Greene and the witnesses.
Two officers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, part of Dr. Acton’s security detail, detained and handcuffed the man, according to Dr. Acton’s campaign and the sheriff.
The man was found to be carrying two pistols and a Taser after he was detained, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Ohio law allows residents to possess and carry concealed firearms without a permit.
The man, identified as 38-year-old Patrick Havas of Canfield, was booked into the county jail on one charge of disorderly conduct and two counts of misdemeanor assault, one for each individual he knocked over, the authorities said. The victims were assessed for potential injuries and chose not to seek further treatment, Sheriff Greene said. He said that Dr. Acton was not injured.
Mr. Havas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A representative for Dr. Acton’s campaign said in a statement that a person who was armed “lunged at” Dr. Acton. “Multiple people” were injured in the incident, according to the statement from Addie Bullock, the communications director for Dr. Acton’s campaign. Ms. Bullock said Dr. Acton and her husband, Eric, were grateful for the “decisive action of law enforcement” and praying for those injured.
Asked about the man’s intent, the sheriff said: “I think it was to ask her a couple of questions. He was just, you know, pretty aggressive about it.” (Sheriff Greene has endorsed Dr. Acton’s Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, in the governor’s race.)
Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said in a statement that the man tried to “forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton,” and that he injured other attendees. Law enforcement will “thoroughly” investigate the incident, he added.
“We spoke to Dr. Acton this afternoon and she said to share with Ohioans that she is ok,” Mr. DeWine wrote in a post on X. “Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable.”
Mike Ray, a City Council member in Youngstown who said he witnessed the incident, said a man began “heckling” Dr. Acton as she was addressing the crowd at the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent, then knocked two older adults to the ground. He was then handcuffed and detained, according to Mr. Ray, who is also a member of the Ohio Democratic Party executive committee. The incident cut her speech short, he said.
“It was surreal, turning and seeing this guy being drug away,” Mr. Ray told The New York Times in a phone interview.
Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign issued a statement saying that what happened was “completely unacceptable.”
“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” Connie Luck, Mr. Ramaswamy’s spokeswoman, said in a statement Sunday evening.
Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate for a Senate seat in Ohio, said in a statement that he was “grateful that Dr. Acton and all involved are safe, and we thank the Ohio law enforcement officers for their quick and professional response.”
