Armed Man Charged With Misdemeanor Assault After Rushing Ohio Governor Candidate Amy Acton's Tent at Canfield Fair

An armed man was arrested Sunday, September 6, after rushing toward Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair in Mahoning County, near Youngstown, according to her campaign and local officials.

Amy Acton was not injured, but campaign officials said multiple people were hurt in the chaos, according to CBS News, NBC News and The Guardian.

Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene identified the suspect to CBS News as Patrick Havas, 38, of Canfield, Ohio. Greene said Havas "aggressively shoved his way through the crowd toward Acton while holding a cell phone up," knocking over two older people on mobility scooters and causing one to fall to the ground.

Havas was carrying two pistols and brass knuckles, all legal to carry in Ohio, Greene told CBS News. Acton's security detail restrained him until law enforcement arrived. He is being held at the Mahoning County Jail and faces two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct, according to Greene. No weapons charges have been filed, and no motive has been publicly disclosed by investigators as of Sunday evening.

Wayne Penny Jr., a Democratic candidate for Ohio's 59th State House District, told CBS News that hecklers had gathered near the Democratic Party's tent when Havas "bull-rushed through the crowd," knocking down volunteers before shoving an elderly man who Penny said has Parkinson's disease, causing him to hit his head.

Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson said in a statement, reported by NBC News and The Guardian, that the incident happened at the county party's tent and called it "reprehensible," adding it "should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle."

Acton's campaign communications director, Addie Bullock, said in a statement carried by every outlet covering the story that 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." Bullock added, "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."

A photo shared with NBC News showed Acton, a physician, remaining on site afterward to check on one of the injured attendees.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term-limited and cannot seek reelection, confirmed Acton was unhurt after speaking with her by phone. "Fran and I are thankful Dr. Amy Acton was not hurt, and we send our thoughts to those who were injured," DeWine said. "Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable. This case is now in the hands of law enforcement and will be investigated thoroughly."

Acton faces Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy in November's election to succeed DeWine, a race both CNBC and The Guardian describe as one of the country's most closely watched gubernatorial contests. Ramaswamy had also been scheduled to visit the Canfield Fair on Sunday, according to NBC News.

Ramaswamy's communications director, Connie Luck, condemned the incident in a statement. "Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence," Luck said. "What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt."

Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who served as lieutenant governor alongside DeWine and Acton, posted on X that he and his wife were disturbed by the incident, according to NBC News.

Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed also weighed in, telling supporters on social media, as reported by The Guardian: "There's no place for political violence in America. Our prayers go out to Dr. Acton and her team, and we hope that this moment is yet another wake up call regarding how important it is to make sure that democracy is a process by which we address our political differences peacefully."

Several outlets, including Fox News and ABC News, led with the campaign's characterization of an "armed individual" who "lunged" at Acton. Without the sheriff's later detail, this framing could read as an attempted assassination. The sheriff's account and the misdemeanor charges filed, rather than felony weapons or attempted-murder counts, suggest a violent physical confrontation rather than a confirmed attack with a firearm. Whether that gap between initial campaign language and the actual charges reflects fast-moving uncertainty in the hours after the incident or something more deliberate is a fair question raised by the discrepancy itself.

Greene has not said whether Havas has an attorney or when he is expected to appear in court. DeWine's office has not announced any additional security measures for the remaining roughly eight weeks of the campaign, and neither the Ohio State Highway Patrol nor Canfield police had released further details on the investigation as of Sunday evening.