SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 6 (Reuters) – An armed individual attacked Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton on Sunday at the Canfield Fair near Youngstown, according to her campaign.
Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, was unharmed. The individual lunged at Acton and injured multiple people, campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said in a statement.
Chris Anderson, chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, said the individual was arrested after “knocking volunteers to the ground.”
The attacker was carrying multiple weapons, Anderson said.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Sheriff Jerry Greene told a local NBC outlet, 21 News, that the suspect, Patrick Havas, knocked down two older adults during the incident.
Havas is expected to be charged with assault and disorderly conduct, Greene told 21 News.
Sunday’s attack is “completely unacceptable,” said Connie Luck, a spokesperson for the campaign of Acton’s Republican opponent in the general election, Vivek Ramaswamy.
“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” Luck said in a statement.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican who cannot run for reelection because of term limits, condemned the attack.
(Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Kathrine Jackson and Brad Brooks; Editing by Sergio Non and Tom Hogue)
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