Incident at Ohio Campaign Event: Assailant Arrested

During a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair on Sunday, an armed individual targeted Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor. Several people were injured in the altercation. The suspect was apprehended with multiple weapons, according to Chris Anderson, Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman.

Acton was unharmed, but campaign officials confirmed injuries among other attendees. Details from law enforcement officials remain pending.

He literally bull-rushed through the crowd, knocked our volunteers down, ran through, pushed and knocked the elderly gentleman over with Parkinson’s, and the gentleman hit his head and fell, said Wayne Penny Jr., a Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 59th State House District. The highway patrol jumped on him, or security detail, and arrested him on site. Brass knuckles and a gun were discovered at the scene.

Acton’s communications director, Addie Bullock, expressed gratitude towards law enforcement and emphasized the need for unity, stating, 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.

Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Acton’s opponent in the upcoming election, deemed the incident unacceptable. Connie Luck, his communications director, commented, 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, and we hope that no one was hurt.

The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department has not yet released a comment, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol has not provided further information.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed relief for Acton’s safety and extended thoughts to the injured, stating, Fran and I are thankful Dr. Amy Acton was not hurt, and we send our thoughts to those who were injured. He emphasized that, Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable.