A man allegedly rushed toward Dr. Amy Acton on Sunday afternoon at the Canfield Fair, knocking into and injuring several people as the gubernatorial candidate attended the event, according to officials.
MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio — Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton was the target of an attack Sunday while visiting a fair, her campaign said.
Addie Bullock, communications director for Acton’s campaign, told 3News that an armed individual “lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people.” Acton was not hurt.
In a statement, the Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the man as 38-year-old Patrick Havas and said he pushed through the crowd, knocking down multiple audience members while moving toward Acton, who previously served as Ohio’s public health director. Authorities said he had a taser and two pistols.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office said deputies recovered two handguns and a set of brass knuckles after Havas was arrested. The office added that “no weapons were ever brandished or even removed from their holsters.”
Havas was taken to the county jail and booked on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault, the highway patrol statement said, adding that no other details were available pending an investigation. Online court records didn’t yet list the case, and it wasn’t clear as of Sunday night whether Havas has an attorney.
Acton is “grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured. 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,” said Addie Bullock, communications director for the campaign.
Acton is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the upcoming election. The Vivek Ramaswamy and Rob McColley for Ohio Campaign released a statement following the incident, condemning the attack.
“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,” said Connie Luck, Communications Director for Vivek for Ohio.
No other information is known at this time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
