Amy Acton Canfield Fair incident leaves attendees hurt, man arrested
Amy Acton was unharmed after a man pushed toward her at the Canfield Fair, while several attendees were injured and a suspect was booked.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
2 min read
The Amy Acton Canfield Fair incident ended with the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor unharmed, but several other attendees injured after a man forced his way through a crowd toward her on Sept. 6, according to her campaign and local officials.
The confrontation happened as Acton appeared at the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent at the annual fair in Mahoning County, near Youngstown. Campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said the man lunged toward Acton and injured multiple people.
Acton was not hurt, CBS News and the Associated Press reported. The extent of the other attendees' injuries was not immediately known, according to NBC News.
What happened at Amy Acton’s Canfield Fair appearance?
Ohio State Highway Patrol executive-protection troopers stopped a man after he pushed through the crowd in Acton’s direction, knocking people over, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Mahoning County Democratic Party Chair Chris Anderson said volunteers were knocked to the ground before the arrest.
The Dispatch, citing a Highway Patrol statement, identified the arrested man as Patrick M. Havas, 38. It reported he was booked into the Mahoning County Jail on two assault counts and a disorderly-conduct charge.
Authorities said they found two pistols and a taser on Havas, according to the Highway Patrol statement reported by the Dispatch. The reported charges are accusations, and the material available did not include a court filing, an account from Havas or any finding on a possible motive.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office were investigating what led to the incident, the Dispatch reported.
Was Amy Acton injured?
No. Acton was not injured, her campaign said. NBC News reported that Acton, a physician and Ohio’s former public health director, remained at the fair and attended to one injured person after the confrontation.
Bullock said Acton and her husband, Eric, were grateful for law enforcement’s response and were praying for those hurt. The campaign did not provide details on the number of injuries or their severity.
Acton is the Democratic nominee in Ohio’s race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. She faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in November.
Ramaswamy’s campaign called the incident unacceptable and said candidates should be able to meet voters without fear of threats or violence. DeWine also condemned the episode, saying authorities responded quickly when a man tried to push his way toward Acton while she was speaking, the Associated Press reported.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.