Armed individual 'lunged' at Democrat nominee for Ohio governor, campaign says

LORAIN, Ohio - An armed individual lunged at the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, Amy Acton, at a county fair in Canfield, causing injuries to others, according to authorities and witnesses.

Acton is running against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, in what has turned into a tight race in the red state.

Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol “intercepted” Patrick M. Havas, 38, at after he forced his way through a crowd toward Acton, the agency said in a statement.

“Havas knocked multiple fairgoers over while trying to get towards Dr. Acton, and was found to be in possession of a taser and two pistols,” state police said.

Acton was unharmed. Havas was transported to the Mahoning County Jail and booked on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault, state police said.

Addie Bullock, communications director for the Acton campaign, said in a statement that, “While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people.”

Acton and her husband, Eric Acton, “are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured,” Bullock said. “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.”

The incident took place around 2:30 p.m. in a tent hosted by the Mahoning County Democratic Party. Chris Anderson, the Mahoning County Democratic chairman, said on X that the individual was arrested “with multiple weapons, after knocking volunteers to the ground.”

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said that it and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into what precipitated the incident.

John Boccieri, a former Democratic U.S. representative for Ohio and a candidate for the state’s legislature, told The Washington Post that he witnessed the incident in the tent where Acton was speaking.

Acton was about five minutes into her speech when a large man entered the tent where Acton was speaking, holding a phone up as if recording, Boccieri said, adding that he did not see weapons in the man’s hands.

The man “barreled” through the crowd, pushing past audience members and knocking down an elderly man and an elderly woman, Boccieri said. The elderly man appeared to hit his head when he fell, Boccieri said.

“They kind of fell like dominoes right in front of” Acton, Boccieri said, estimating that as many as 75 supporters had gathered in the tent.

As the man approached Acton, Boccieri said he saw plainclothes members of Acton’s security detail apprehend the man. The man was removed from the tent.

“Our disagreements should not lend themselves to this kind of violence,” Boccieri said in a phone interview.

The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department and the Canfield Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said in a statement that Acton was unharmed and that “a man tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democrat booth.”

“Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable,” DeWine said.

After the incident, Acton appeared at an annual union-organized Labor Day event in Lorain, where she greeted attendees and told several that she had been speaking about divisiveness when the man lunged at her.

“This is why I’m running,” she said. “I literally was saying this is why I was running.”

Ramaswamy’s campaign, in a statement the candidate posted on X, said that “candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence.”

“What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics,” said the statement from Connie Luck, the campaign’s communications director.

Acton is a former Ohio health official running as a Democrat, who played a leading role in the state response to the coronavirus pandemic. As the state implemented strict measures to curb the spread of the virus, protesters previously targeted Acton and her home.