Armed man arrested after rushing Ohio candidate Amy Acton at fair

A man armed with two handguns and a set of brass knuckles pushed through a crowd toward Amy Acton, Ohio's Democratic nominee for governor, at a county fair on Sunday, and several bystanders were injured before state troopers stopped and arrested him.

The suspect, Patrick Havas, 38, of Canfield, was booked at the Mahoning County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. Acton, a physician, was not hurt, according to the patrol, whose troopers were with her as part of her protective unit. Campaign officials and witnesses said several other people in the crowd were injured.

The confrontation happened around 2:30 p.m. at the Canfield Fair near Youngstown, while Acton spoke to a crowd inside the Mahoning County Democratic Party's tent, according to the sheriff's office. Havas approached with a cellphone set up to record the visit and began forcing his way through the crowd as he entered the tent.

What the troopers found

Investigators recovered two handguns and a set of brass knuckles after the arrest, the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office said. The Ohio State Highway Patrol, which provides Acton a security detail because she is a candidate for governor, said officials also found a Taser. Havas did not brandish the weapons or take them from their holsters, investigators said.

Acton's security detail, made up of highway patrol troopers, confronted Havas as he advanced, and two people were knocked to the ground, said Gerry Ricciutti, a spokesperson for the sheriff. Sheriff Jerry Greene said Havas allegedly knocked over two older people on mobility scooters, causing one of them to fall.

All of the weapons are legal to carry in Ohio, Greene told CBS News. Havas remained in the county jail with no bond set, records show; the court was closed for the Labor Day holiday. Jail records did not list an attorney for him. He could be formally charged as soon as Tuesday, Ricciutti said Monday.

Investigators have not said what led to the confrontation or what motivated it.

Acton remained at the scene to help one of the injured people before her security team escorted her out, according to a photo and witness accounts shared with NBC News.

Accounts from the tent

Former Rep. John Boccieri, a Democrat who was standing within arm's length of Acton, told NBC News the suspect made it within feet of her while yelling her name and filming on his cellphone. He described the scene as an aggressive move by a very large man who was rushing and barreling toward her and pushing people to the ground.

Wayne Penny Jr., a Democratic candidate for Ohio's 59th State House District, told CBS News that hecklers had gathered at the party's tent before one of them rushed the crowd. He said the man knocked down volunteers and an elderly man with Parkinson's, who hit his head as he fell.

An older man knocked down in the rush fell face down in the mud in front of Acton, Boccieri said, and she immediately began rendering aid. A witness, Lindsay Yaggi, wrote on Facebook that Acton went into action and gave care until emergency medical technicians arrived, apologized to those hurt and made sure they were okay before her security team had her leave.

When troopers grabbed him, Boccieri said, Havas told them he was only trying to ask a question.

The campaign's response

Addie Bullock, the campaign's communications director, said in a statement that the assailant lunged at Acton and that the candidate and her husband, Eric, were grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and were praying for the recovery of those injured.

Bullock added that this kind of violence has no place in Ohio, and that Acton would always stand up to the hate and vitriol that pits people against one another.

Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who recruited Acton in 2019 to lead the state health department, said he and his wife had spoken with her and that she asked them to tell Ohioans she was okay. He said the man tried to forcefully push himself toward Acton as she spoke and injured other attendees at the Democratic booth.

Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican who served as lieutenant governor alongside DeWine and Acton, posted on X that he and his wife were disturbed by the attempted attack and grateful for law enforcement's quick response. Chris Anderson, the Mahoning County Democratic Party chair, whose group hosted Acton, said Havas knocked several volunteers to the ground and called the episode reprehensible.

Ramaswamy calls it unacceptable

The campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee Acton faces in November, called the incident unacceptable. His communications director, Connie Luck, said candidates should be able to meet with voters without worrying about threats or violence, and that the campaign hoped no one was hurt.

Ramaswamy had also been scheduled to appear at the Canfield Fair on Sunday afternoon. His campaign did not immediately respond to questions from ABC News about whether that appearance went ahead.

A close race in Ohio

Acton and Ramaswamy are competing to succeed DeWine, who is term-limited, in one of the highest-profile races of the year. Polls have indicated a close contest in a state that has moved to the right since the political rise of President Donald Trump, an early backer of Ramaswamy's campaign. The Canfield Fair is an annual stop for politicians in the Youngstown area.

Ramaswamy, 41, a businessman who ran for president in 2024, has turned his national name recognition and a record 2025 fundraising haul into advertising aimed at the November election. The state Republican Party and a pro-Ramaswamy political action committee have emphasized Acton's pandemic record and attacked her character, framing her as a quitter and pointing to a 2019 police visit to her home. The report logged it as a domestic dispute but recorded a verbal argument and no evidence of physical violence. No one was charged.

Acton returns to the trail

A day after the confrontation, Acton walked Cleveland's Labor Day parade route, greeting voters. She said it had been a rough day and that she was thankful for first responders and the highway patrol, with her prayers with those injured.

I am a fierce warrior in this fight. That's exactly why I'm running.

Acton, who says she is fighting for common humanity, said voters she meets are exhausted by political division. She said that in two and a half years of campaigning she had never been anywhere where people did not tear up while she spoke.

Acton, 60, led the Ohio Department of Health during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, becoming a familiar presence at DeWine's daily briefings before resigning in June 2020. Her work earned the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation's Profile in COVID Courage Award and Ohio State University's highest alumni honor. Her role issuing stay-at-home orders also made her a target for conservative activists and protesters.

Some protesters gathered outside the Statehouse in Columbus and outside her home, at times carrying guns and signs bearing antisemitic messages, according to NBC News. Acton, who is Jewish, has downplayed those incidents as a factor in her decision to leave the health department.

What comes next

DeWine said the case is now in the hands of law enforcement and will be investigated thoroughly. The Highway Patrol and the Sheriff's Office said no other details were available pending their inquiry.