Johnstown, Pennsylvania – A man will face misdemeanor charges after he stormed into the press area at Donald Trump’s rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, before being surrounded by authorities and eventually subdued with a Taser as the former president spoke at the campaign stop. The incident occurred moments after Trump criticized major media outlets for what he said was unfavorable coverage and dismissed CNN as fawning for its interview with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
The man made it over a barrier ringing the media area and began climbing the back side of a riser where television reporters and cameras were stationed. People near him tried to pull him off the riser and were quickly joined by police officers and sheriff’s deputies. The crowd cheered as a pack of police led the man away, prompting Trump to say, “Is there anywhere that’s more fun to be than a Trump rally.
Johnstown’s police chief, Richard M. Pritchard, confirmed that the man was arrested and will be formally charged next week. The man, whose identity will be disclosed when charges are filed, will face misdemeanors in municipal court for alleged disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and disrupting a public assembly.
Fierce criticism of the media is a standard part of Trump’s rally speeches, with his supporters often reacting by turning toward the press section and booing; some use their middle finger to demonstrate their distaste for journalists. Moments before the man ventured into the media’s designated section, Trump had reprised his familiar assertion that the media is a collective “enemy of the people.
Trump’s campaign tried to distance the former president from the man and his actions, suggesting he was a Trump opponent. Shortly after the incident, police handcuffed another man in the crowd and led him out of the arena. It was not immediately clear whether that detention was related to the initial altercation.
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.
