Ohio gubernatorial candidate confronted by armed man at fair

An armed man lunged at Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton (D) during a Canfield, Ohio, fair on Sunday, injuring several other attendees.

Acton’s campaign shared a statement after the incident, which took place at around 2:30 p.m. at the annual Canfield Fair, located in a Youngstown suburb, NBC News reported. Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet they have 38-year-old Patrick Havas, a Canfield resident, in custody in connection to the incident.

“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people. Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift, decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured,” campaign communications director Addie Bullock said in the statement , referring to Acton’s husband , Eric Acton.

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

Acton was not hurt and remained at the fair to attend to those injured in the attack.

Mahoning County Sheriff’s spokesperson Gerry Ricciutti told NBC that Havas approached with a cellphone set up to record Acton as she spoke at the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent. He said Havas pushed through the crowd before Acton’s security detail and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers approached him, as two people fell to the ground.

Police recovered two handguns and brass knuckle on scene, though the man did not wield any of these items in the confrontation, they said.

The incident remains under investigation, Ricciutti told the outlet. He noted Havas will face charges after investigators consult with the county prosecutor.

Acton is running to be Ohio’s next governor against Vivek Ramaswamy (R), the entrepreneur who ran for president in 2024 and was initially set to work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Tesla CEO Elon Musk before instead entering the Buckeye State’s gubernatorial race.