So much for peaceful protest. A Donald Trump supporter punched 69-year-old Shirley Teter in the face at a rally in Asheville, North Carolina, Monday, September 12.
Videos shot in the aftermath of the surprising moment show Teter, who breathes with the support of an oxygen tank, lying on the ground surrounded by concerned bystanders fanning her face.
Police issued an arrest warrant for Richard Campbell of Edisto Island, South Carolina, in connection with the incident, the Asheville police tweeted Tuesday, September 13.
“Why did I get involved yesterday, at my age? Because I ran into another situation that was sickening my heart,” Teter told local station News 13. She has previously protested the Vietnam War and noted that she has never encountered such a violent reaction.
“Whenever groups of them would start chanting, ‘Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump!’ I would chant back, ‘Dump! Dump! Dump! Dump!’ It was kind of comical,” she said. Teter added that what really set the man off was mentioning Russia.
“I said, ‘You better learn to speak Russian,’ and the first two words are going to be ‘Ha ha,’” she said. “He stopped in his tracks and he turned around and just cold-cocked me.”
In addition to being knocked off her feet, Teter suffered sore ribs, a sore jaw and a cut to her elbow. She was hospitalized until 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.
In all, five people were arrested at the rally, with warrants out for two more, including the man believed to have punched Teter.
According to New York magazine, Trump addressed the crowd during his speech: “Is there anywhere in America more fun to be than a Trump rally?”
