A gunman was arrested after charging at Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton on Sunday during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, injuring several people, campaign officials said. Acton was not injured, but campaign officials said several people were injured. The suspect, identified as Patrick Havas, 38, of Canfield, Ohio, “aggressively pushed his way through the crowd toward Acton while holding a cell phone,” Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene told CBS News. While running forward, Havas allegedly ran over two elderly people on mobility scooters, causing one of them to fall to the ground, Greene said. Acton’s security team was able to apprehend him and hold him until authorities arrived, the sheriff said. The man had two guns and brass knuckles, according to Greene, all of which are legal to carry in Ohio. Havas is being held in the Mahoning County Jail and faces two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct, according to Greene. Wayne Penny Jr., Democratic candidate for Ohio State House District 59, told CBS News that the hecklers had gathered at the Democratic Party tent when one of them “ran through the crowd” in the direction of Acton. “He literally ran through the crowd, knocked down our volunteers, ran, pushed and knocked over the elderly man with Parkinson’s, and the gentleman hit his head and fell,” Penny said. Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson said in a statement that the man also knocked down several volunteers. Acton was “grateful for the quick and decisive action of authorities and we are praying for the recovery of the injured. This type of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hatred and vitriol that pits us against each other,” said Addie Bullock, the campaign’s communications director. Acton faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who has leveraged his national name recognition, connections to the tech industry and alliance with President Donald Trump to record fundraising that he is leveraging for ads leading up to the November election. He is using campaign events and advertising to criticize Acton, the state’s former public health director. Amy Acton, Democratic candidate for Ohio governor and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, speaks to supporters during a rally on April 28, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jon Cherry/Getty Images Ramaswamy called Sunday’s incident unacceptable. “Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence. What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope no one was hurt,” Ramaswamy communications director Connie Luck said in a statement Sunday. “Fran and I are grateful that Dr. Amy Acton was not injured, and we send our thoughts to those who were injured,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement. “We spoke with Dr. Acton this afternoon and she said let’s share with Ohioans that she is doing well.” “Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable,” he added. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
