Armed Man Arrested After Reportedly Lunging At Dem Nominee For Ohio Governor

By Mark Tanos

An armed man barreled through a crowd toward Ohio’s Democratic nominee for governor at a county fair Sunday, knocking several people down before officers hauled him away.

The suspect, 38-year-old Patrick Havas, is expected to face two counts of assault and a single count of disorderly conduct after the disturbance at the Canfield Fair, Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene told WFMJ. Two older adults were knocked to the ground when Havas forced his way to the front of a crowd gathered near the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent around 2:45 p.m., where former state health director Amy Acton was appearing.

Deputies recovered two handguns and a set of brass knuckles from Havas after taking him into custody, though none of the weapons left their holsters or were displayed during the confrontation, the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement reported by WFMJ. Members of Acton’s security detail, made up of Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, stopped Havas before Canfield Fair Police arrested him and drove him to the Mahoning County Jail. (RELATED: Democrat AG Candidate Announces Plan To Execute Trump)

Acton walked away unharmed. “While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people,” campaign Communications Director Addie Bullock said in a statement posted on X. “This kind of violence has no place in Ohio.”

Acton’s Republican opponent condemned the attack the same day. “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 that no one was hurt,” said Connie Luck, communications director for the Vivek Ramaswamy and Rob McColley for Ohio campaign, in a statement.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, whose seat both candidates are chasing, said on X that he had spoken with Acton and that she was unhurt and doing fine.

Fran and I are thankful Dr. Amy Acton was not hurt, and we send our thoughts to those who were injured. We spoke to Dr. Acton this afternoon and she said to share with Ohioans that she is ok.

We are grateful for the quick work of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law…

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) September 6, 2026

Ramaswamy, who has pulled in record fundraising for the contest, is running against Acton with roughly six weeks left before the November election. Sheriff’s detectives are still investigating the incident, while the Highway Patrol reviews whether the episode amounted to a targeted threat, WFMJ reported.