Protester Viciously Kicked, Punched at Trump Rally in Arizona

A Donald J. Trump rally in Tucson, AZ that was marked by repeated interruptions from the audience turned violent Saturday evening, when a protester being escorted from the arena was kicked and punched by a member of the crowd.

In another incident at the same event, Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, appeared to grab a protester by the collar, while another man interacted physically with the protester as well. That incident was caught on video as well, and posted to Twitter by a reporter for CBS.

Multiple outlets are reporting that the man who appeared to punch the protestor was later arrested by local law enforcement. NBC News reported that the man's name was Tony Pettway, 32, and that he was was charged with assault with injury, a misdemeanor.

The punching incident occurred as two protesters — one wearing an American flag and carrying a sign with a photo of Trump that read "Bad for America" and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan mask— were being led out of the arena. The protester in the Klan mask appeared to be a woman, with a black pony tail, while the protester wearing the American flag was a man. The man was in front of the woman and nearing the end of the crowd when he was set upon by a man in a yellow golf shirt.

Police quickly intervened, handcuffed the man in the yellow shirt and led him from the arena as well.

The incidents came toward the end of a chaotic day for the Trump campaign. Earlier in the day, protesters in Arizona had blocked a road on the way to a Trump rally. On Saturday, The New York Times also reported that a group of Republicans are strategizing in an effort to derail a Trump nomination by way of a brokered convention, or even a third-party candidacy, a strategy that would all but ensure a Democratic victory.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Fox News called Trump's constant tweets about anchor Megyn Kelly "sick and beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate."

Trump responded on Saturday morning with another rant against the anchor.

Trump photo: by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons