An armed man was arrested Sunday after forcing his way through a crowd toward Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, the authorities said.
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. Dr. Acton was not injured.
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 in the shape of brass knuckles after he was detained, according to the sheriff and 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.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident. 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.)
John Boccieri, a former Democratic congressman who is running for the Ohio State House, said he witnessed the altercation. After the man was handcuffed, “he was screaming, ‘Dr. Acton, Dr. Acton,’” Mr. Boccieri said.
Mike Ray, a City Council member in Youngstown, who said he witnessed the incident, recalled hearing the same thing. He also said the man began “heckling” Dr. Acton as she was addressing the crowd, then knocked two older adults to the ground.
“It was surreal, turning and seeing this guy being drug away,” said Mr. Ray, who is also a member of the Ohio Democratic Party executive committee.
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.
“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.”
Earlier in the day at the fair, Mr. Ramaswamy had visited and climbed in the back of a pickup truck to make a speech to around 200 people at the Republican tent. Dr. Acton and Mr. Ramaswamy are running in one of the country’s most competitive governor’s races.
Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign issued a statement saying that what happened with Dr. Acton 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.
As the sun set in Canfield on Sunday evening, hundreds of people continued enjoying the fair as if nothing unusual had occurred. But at the Democratic Party tent, the hubbub of the day was still unfolding. Visitor after visitor stopped in to ask if what they had seen on social media and the local news was true.
“Now everybody wants Amy signs and Amy buttons,” said Bernadette Pernotto, a volunteer with the Mahoning County Democratic Party. Ms. Pernetto said she had been standing feet away from Dr. Acton when the suspect entered the tent. She said it was like watching bowling pins fall as he knocked down the two older people in his way.
Some fairgoers said the news made them hesitate about coming out Sunday night. Annika McCabe, 24, texted her friends to ask if they still wanted to go.
“It’s just a microcosm of how escalated things have become,” Ms. McCabe said. “But these things are going to keep happening, and we have to keep living our lives.”
At the Republican tent, Tom McCabe, chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party, said the incident was disturbing.
“Everyone is shocked that it happened in our hometown,” Mr. McCabe said.
