Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dr. Amy Acton has spoken out after a terrifying incident with a heavily armed registered Republican.
Acton, 60, was attending the Canfield Fair in northeastern Ohio on Sunday afternoon when a man allegedly lunged at her, injuring multiple people; however, she was unharmed.
The suspect, who law enforcement officials say aggressively attempted to confront Acton, was identified as 38-year-old Patrick Havas, a registered Republican.
During Sunday’s attack, the Columbus Dispatch reported that Havas reportedly pushed through the crowd, knocking over at least two older adults.
Police found two pistols and a taser in the suspect’s possession, and he was booked on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault.
Acton, who is a physician, attended Cleveland’s annual Labor Day parade on Monday, where she addressed the previous day’s incident.
“Yes, we had a rough day yesterday,” Acton said at the 11th Congressional District Community Caucus Labor Day Parade and Festival.
“I am so thankful for our first responders and our state highway patrol and everyone who helped out the people who were injured. And our prayers are with them,” she said. “But see, I am a fierce warrior in this fight, and that’s exactly why I’m running.”
Acton also referenced the negative rhetoric in politics, saying people she talks to have told her they are “exhausted of the hate and the chaos and the vitriol” as well as “purposely being pitted against one another.”
“I’m in for this fight,” she added. “I’m a scrappy kid… But they’re making a big mistake, if they mistake kindness for weakness.”
The language matches comments Acton’s communications director Addie Bullock made in a statement released after the attack, which read, “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.”
The Dispatch reported that on Sunday, after Havas was detained, Acton jumped into the crowd to help injured volunteers.
On Monday, 3 News witnessed Acton assisting a person experiencing a medical emergency before the Labor Day parade began. Shortly after that, Acton was seen helping another elderly woman who passed out.
In a bizarre twist, Havas’ brother is a Republican political volunteer who was fired after the discovery of his sexual misconduct with a minor.
Andrew Havas spent time in jail after the 2008 incident involving a 15-year-old in Mahoning County, according to court records reviewed by NBC News in July.
He was 22 at the time of the incident and was accused of knowing that the minor was older than 13 but younger than 16 and also of being reckless about the minor’s age.
The sexual misconduct charge was then reduced to a single misdemeanor assault count as part of a plea deal. After he pleaded guilty to the reduced charge in 2009, Havas was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay a fine.
In July, Havas resigned from his volunteer role with Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted’s re-election campaign after NBC News contacted the campaign about the case.
