Amy Acton Canfield Fair incident leads to arrest after crowd confrontation
A man was arrested after pushing toward Ohio Democratic nominee Amy Acton at the Canfield Fair, where two people were knocked down.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
The Amy Acton Canfield Fair incident ended with an arrest Sunday after a man pushed through a crowd toward Ohio’s Democratic nominee for governor as she spoke at a party tent, authorities said. Acton was not physically injured.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office identified the arrested man as Patrick Havas, 38. Its spokesperson, Gerry Ricciutti, said the confrontation happened at about 2:30 p.m. at the annual fair in Canfield, near Youngstown.
What happened at Amy Acton’s Canfield Fair event?
Ricciutti said Havas approached the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent with a cellphone positioned to record Acton’s appearance. As he entered the tent, he began forcing his way through attendees, according to the sheriff’s office account.
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers assigned to Acton’s security detail confronted him. Two people were knocked to the ground during that confrontation, Ricciutti said. The extent of injuries beyond that was not immediately known.
Acton’s campaign described the man as having “lunged” at her and said several people were injured. Gov. Mike DeWine said a man tried to forcefully push toward Acton while she was speaking and injured other people at the booth, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
Acton, a physician and Ohio’s former health director, stayed at the fair to assist one injured person, NBC News reported, citing a photograph supplied by an attendee.
What weapons did officers recover?
After the arrest, officers recovered two handguns and brass knuckles, Ricciutti said. Investigators said neither firearm was displayed or taken from its holster during the incident.
The sheriff’s office said its investigation remained open and that it would consult the Mahoning County prosecutor before filing any charges. No motive, charges or allegations beyond the authorities’ account of the crowd confrontation were available.
What it means for the governor’s race
Acton is seeking to succeed the term-limited DeWine in November and will face Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy’s campaign said candidates should be able to meet voters without fearing threats or violence and said it hoped nobody was hurt.
DeWine said he and his wife had spoken with Acton and were grateful she was unharmed. He said violence or threats of violence at political and public events are unacceptable, while leaving the case to law enforcement’s investigation.
Mahoning County Democratic Party Chair Christopher Anderson said the incident occurred at the party’s tent and thanked responding local officers and the Highway Patrol.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.