Patrick Havas, 38, lunged at Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr Amy Acton with pistols and brass knuckles while she spoke at a county fair in Ohio's Mahoning County on Sunday. According to officials, Havas aggressively shoved through the crowd, injuring multiple people, including two older individuals who fell to the ground. He has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct. The incident occurred at the Canfield Fair, where Acton was speaking at the Democratic booth.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio, was attacked by an armed individual, identified as Patrick Havas, 38, while she was speaking at the Canfield Fair on Sunday. The suspect allegedly knocked over multiple people, including two older adults, before being stopped and taken into custody by law enforcement. Acton's security detail, made up of Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, was able to intervene and prevent further harm.
Havas was found to be in possession of two pistols and brass knuckles, but did not use the firearms during the incident. He has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct.
Acton was not injured in the attack, but multiple people were hurt. She released a statement expressing gratitude that she was unharmed and thanking law enforcement for their swift response.
The incident is being investigated by the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office.
Written for “Attack on Amy Acton” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 13 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 6777 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-07
A man armed with pistols and brass knuckles has been arrested after lunging at a Democratic gubernatorial candidate at a county fair in Ohio.
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man → arm → Ohio
The incident unfolded on Sunday as Dr Amy Acton, who is running to replace outgoing Republican Governor Mike DeWine, spoke at the Mahoning County Democrat Booth at the Canfield Fair.
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who → unfold → Fair
The county’s Sheriff Jerry Greene identified the attacker as 38-year-old Patrick Havas to CBS News, telling the network that the individual had “aggressively shoved his way through the crowd toward Acton while holding a cell phone up”.
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individual → identify → phone
Greene confirmed that Havas was armed with two pistols and brass knuckles and noted that he allegedly knocked over two older people on mobility scooters - one of whom fell to the ground.
Addie Bullock, the communications director for Acton’s campaign, confirmed the incident in a public statement.
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Bullock → confirm → statement
“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr Acton, injuring multiple people,” Bullock said.
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Bullock → attend → people
“Dr Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured.”
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Acton → pray → those
Bullock added, “This kind of violence has no place in Ohio.
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kind → add → Ohio
Dr Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against each other.”
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that → stand → other
Greene told CBS News that Havas has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct.
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Havas → tell → conduct
Wayne Penny Jr, an Ohio democrat, revealed more about Havas’ alleged attack to the network.
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Jr → reveal → network
“He literally bull-rushed through the crowd, knocked our volunteers down, ran through, pushed and knocked the elderly gentleman over with Parkinson's, and the gentleman hit his head and fell,” Penny Jr said.
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Jr → rush → head
Journalist Henry J Gomez later shared a picture of Acton helping to one of the injured attendees at Sunday’s event.
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Acton → share → event
DeWine, who has endorsed fellow Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the gubernatorial race, shared his own statement thanking law enforcement for responding to the incident.
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who → endorse → incident
“Fran and I are thankful Dr Amy Acton was not hurt, and we send our thoughts to those who were injured,” DeWine wrote.
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DeWine → hurt → those
“We spoke to Dr Acton this afternoon, and she said to share with Ohioans that she is okay.”
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she → speak → Ohioans
The outgoing governor added, “We are grateful for the quick work of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement on the scene at the Canfield Fair today when a man tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr Acton as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democratic booth.”
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she → add → booth
The Independent has contacted the Mahoning County Sheriff Office for comment.
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Independent → contact → comment
