Donald Trump was rushed off stage by members of his Secret Service detail after a commotion broke out in the audience at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday, November 5.
The Republican presidential candidate, 70, was giving a speech when what appeared to be a brief scuffle broke out in the crowd in front of his podium. Two Secret Service agents immediately came out and whisked Trump backstage.
A man in a blue sweater, later identified as 33-year-old Austyn Crites, was tackled to the ground before being escorted out of the convention center by armed law enforcement. No charges were filed against Crites, according to CNN.
When Trump returned to the stage, he thanked the Secret Service members who rushed him to safety. “Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped,” he said. “I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic. They don’t get enough credit.”
CNN reported that a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement that an unidentified individual shouted “Gun!” but no weapon was found after completing a “thorough search.”
Crites later spoke about the incident, telling USA Today, “I just went with a sign that said ‘Republicans Against Trump.’ It’s a sign that you can find online. I held up the sign and initially people around me were just booing me, telling me to get out of there. Then a couple of these guys tried grabbing the sign out of my hands.”
“Multiple people just tackled me down, kicking me, choking me and just beating me up,” he continued. “That’s when things got even crazier. I was on the ground and people were holding my arms, legs and I kept saying, ‘I can barely breathe.’ I was turning my neck just to get a little bit of air to keep from passing out.”
Shortly after Saturday night’s rally in Reno, Donald Trump Jr. and Dan Scavino Jr., Trump’s social media director, both retweeted a supporter who falsely wrote, “Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt.”
