Punches thrown, collars grabbed at Trump rally in Tucson
UPDATED, 9:58 p.m. ET
Donald Trump's rally in Fountain Hills, Arizona, was relatively calm on Saturday, apart from some protesters who blocked the roadway outside.
His next event, in Tucson, was a different story.
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As seen in this video from NBC News' Frank Thorp V, a man in the stands appeared to punch and kick a protester as security personnel were leading the protester away.
This video, posted by a bystander who who "went to the Trump rally just to see how crazy it would be," provides a closer angle. The protester is holding a poster with an image of Trump when the man rips it out of his hands, then punches him.
The man who threw the punches was also led away by security personnel.
The protester was later interviewed by the Arizona Daily Star. He identified himself as Bryan Sanders and said he was an independent. He said his sign said, "Trump is bad for America."
"The guy grabbed the sign out of my hand as I was being escorted out of the building, and sucker-punched me," Sanders said.
The scene brought to mind the infamous Trump rally from last week when a white man sucker-punched a black protester who was being escorted up an aisle. In Saturday's incident in Tucson, the protester appeared to be white and the man punching and kicking him appeared to be black.
Meanwhile, at the same Tucson rally, Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, appeared to grab the collar of a protester who had caught the attention of a Trump security guard. Video of the incident was captured by Jacqueline Alemany of CBS News:
The Trump campaign disputed that Lewandowski pulled the protester, saying in a statement that the other man behind the protester did the grabbing.
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It is clear from the video, however, that at a minimum Lewandowski's hand is making a grabbing gesture near the collar of the protester.
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The protester did not appear to be injured. But Lewandowski has been under scrutiny after a Breitbart reporter alleged that he forcefully grabbed her arm and nearly pulled her to the ground at a Trump event last week.
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Some reporters questioned why Lewandowski had been involved in the first place.
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Several other protesters were reportedly ejected from the Tucson event.
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Topics Activism Donald Trump Elections
Jonathan Ellis is Managing Editor at Mashable. He oversees the daily news report and manages Mashable’s team of news editors. He also works closely with Mashable's product team in developing new tools and ways of reaching and interacting Mashable's audience. Prior to Mashable, Jonathan was at the New York Times in a number of positions since 2006. He was most recently senior editor for digital platforms, leading a team of newsroom editors who helped tailor the Times’ mobile products and news report. He is a graduate of Brown University where he studied public policy and computer science.
