Armed person confronts Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton at event, campaign says

An armed person “lunged” at Amy Acton, Ohio’s Democratic nominee for governor, and injured several people at a fair, a spokesperson for her campaign said Sunday.

A suspect, Patrick Havas, 38, was arrested, according to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident, according to a statement from the sheriff’s spokesperson, Gerry Ricciutti, occurred around 2:30 p.m. Sunday while Acton visited the annual Canfield Fair in Canfield, a suburb of Youngstown. Acton, a physician, was not hurt and remained on-site to attend to one of the injured people, according to a photo a person at the event shared with NBC News.

The extent of injuries to others was not immediately known.

Acton and her husband, Eric, “are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured,” said Addie Bullock, the campaign’s spokesperson.

“This kind of violence has no place in Ohio,” Bullock added. “Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.”

Acton was speaking to a crowd in the Mahoning County Democratic Party’s tent at the fair when Havas, who lives in Canfield, approached with a cellphone set up to record the visit, Ricciutti said.

“As he was entering the tent, Havas started pushing his way through the crowd,” Ricciutti added. “Dr. Acton’s security detail, which was made up of Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, confronted Havas, and as that was happening, two people were knocked to the ground.”

After law enforcement officials arrested Havas, they recovered two handguns and a set of brass knuckles, Ricciutti added. In a separate statement, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which provides protection to Acton because she is a candidate for governor, said officials also found that Havas had a Taser. Havas did not brandish the weapons or remove them from their holsters, according to investigators.

Havas was booked at the Mahoning County Jail “on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault,” according to the Highway Patrol statement.

“The Ohio State Highway Patrol and Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into what led up to the incident [and] no other details are available at this time,” the statement added.

Acton faces Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman who ran for president in 2024, in the November general election to determine DeWine’s successor. Polls have indicated a close race.

Ramaswamy also had been scheduled to visit the fair Sunday afternoon.

“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” Ramaswamy spokesperson Connie Luck said in an emailed statement. “What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope ... that no one was hurt.”

Acton was Ohio’s health director under term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

DeWine said in a statement Sunday that he and his wife had spoken to Acton and that they were grateful she was not hurt.

“Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable,” DeWine said. “This case is now in the hands of law enforcement and will be investigated thoroughly.”

Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican who in his previous role as lieutenant governor served with DeWine and Acton, posted on X that he and his wife were “disturbed by the attempted attack.”

“We are grateful for law enforcement’s quick response,” Husted added. “There is no place for this kind of behavior, and it must never be tolerated.”

Mahoning County Democratic Party Chair Christopher Anderson, whose group hosted Acton on Sunday, wrote on Facebook : “What happened at our tent today during today’s visit from Dr. Acton is reprehensible and should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle. MCDP is grateful for the quick response by our local law enforcement officials as well as the Ohio State Highway Patrol providing Dr. Acton security.”