A Rhode Island off-duty police officer running for the state senate was arrested after he attacked his opponent in a demonstration for the right to abortion on Friday.
Jeann Lugo, who ran as a Republican, allegedly punched his Democratic rival Jennifer Rourke at least twice in the face, Rourke told the Providence Journal.
The video of the incident, shared by Rourke, appears to show the hopeful Senate entering into a physical altercation at the protest before being hit in the head.
“I am an organizer of reproductive rights and a candidate for the state Senate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent, a police officer, violently attacked me,” Rourke wrote. who is running to represent the 29th Senate district, in a tweet next to the clip.
The video does not show what happened between Lugo, 35, and Rourke, 40, before the altercation.
A representative of Rourke’s campaign told CNBC he went to the hospital for a computed tomography scan.
Jennifer Rourke shared the video of the altercation on Twitter.Instagram/@jenniferrourkeri
Lugo was arrested Saturday for simple assault and disorderly conduct, NBC News reported, citing state police. He was tried and released with recognition after surrendering.
He did not deny the attack in a statement to CNBC.
“As an officer who swore to protect and serve our communities, unfortunately, I found myself in a situation where no individual should be seen,” he said.
“I stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking,” Jennifer Rourke said. Twitter / @ JenRourke29 Republican Jeann Lugo allegedly punched her Democratic rival Jennifer Rourke at least twice in the face. Twitter / @ JenRourke29
“I intervened to protect someone who was being attacked by a group of agitators. At the moment, there is a pending internal investigation and as the facts of the incident come to light, I ask that my family and I have privacy. ”.
The Providence police department announced earlier on Saturday on Twitter that it has launched a criminal investigation into the incident and put Lugo on paid administrative leave “pending a criminal investigation and administrative review.”
Rourke is seeking the Democratic nomination in the September primaries to run for the Rhode Island state Senate. Lugo competed for the Republican nomination for the same seat.
On Saturday in the early afternoon, Lugo announced that it was ending its offer.
“I will not run for office this fall,” he said on Twitter, before deactivating his account.
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza called the images of the attack “immensely disturbing.”
Jennifer Rourke seeks Democratic nomination in September primary to run for Rhode Island state Senate.Instagram/@jenniferrourkeri
“Those responsible will be fully responsible,” he added in a Twitter post.
The altercation took place during a protest in front of the Rhode Island State House in Providence provoked by the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision that ended nearly 50 years of federal protection for the procedure in the U.S.
The decision was handed down on Friday morning, more than eight weeks after Politico had leaked and published a draft of the opinion.
In response to the decision, protesters took to the streets on Friday and Saturday across the country.
With post cables