NEW: Man Who Stormed Trump Rally Press Area to Face Multiple Charges Including Resisting Arrest – Police
The man who stormed the press area on Friday at a Donald Trump rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania will face charges in the incident, police confirmed to the AP on Saturday.
Johnstown police chief Richard Pritchard said in a statement on Saturday that the man who was arrested at the rally after a dramatic incident caught on multiple cameras was released, but will be formally charged next week, at which time his identity will be made public.
“It was not immediately clear what motivated the man or whether he was a Trump supporter or critic,” the AP wrote Saturday. “Pritchard, who was not directly involved in the arrest, declined to speculate on the man’s motives.”
The suspect will face several misdemeanors in municipal court next week, “for alleged disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and disrupting a public assembly,” according to Pritchard, the AP writes.
Parts of the incident were captured by several cameras, including the up-close view of the moment itself by NewsNation producer Kristen Eskow and CBS News political campaign reporter Taurean Small.
At Trump rally in Johnstown, PA: Someone in the audience jumped over the barricade to the press pen and latched onto the riser where the TV cameras are. The man was taken down and taken away by police. pic.twitter.com/eW2YMUW5g8
— Kristen Eskow (@KristenEskow) August 30, 2024
Video of the incident. Security in the press pen grabbed him first before he was taken down by law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/Xdw1CZ9dE0
— Taurean Small (@taureansmall) August 30, 2024
As things were going down, Trump was on stage saying “That’s ok,” although it was not clear whether he could see what was happening. “He’s on our side. We get a little, uh, itchy, don’t we? Huh, ok. No, no. He’s on our side,” Trump said of the man storming the press area.
The man was tasered, according to reports, then handcuffed and taken from the venue.
The AP notes:
The incident happened amid heightened scrutiny of security at Trump rallies after a gunman fired at him, grazing his ear, during an outdoor rally in July in nearby Butler, Pennsylvania. Security at political events has been noticeably tighter since the shooting.
A Secret Service spokesperson referred questions to local authorities.
More video from the rally and the incident.
