A Republican candidate for Rhode Island state Senate dropped out of the race on Saturday after a video that went viral allegedly showed him punching his Democratic challenger in the face during an abortion rights rally in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to Talking Points Memo.
In a video filmed Friday night, Rhode Island
Democratic state Senate candidate Jennifer Rourke is seen at a rally outside
the State House protesting the Supreme Court’s ruling ending the right to
abortion. The video shows tensions escalating, with people throwing punches at
each other. Rourke alleged that her GOP challenger, Jeann Lugo, punched her in
the face. Lugo is a Providence police officer who was off duty at the time.
The Providence Police Department announced Saturday
that it launched a criminal investigation and an administrative review of the
“behavior of an off duty officer” during a protest on Friday night involving
the assault of a female.
The Rhode
Island State Police said Lugo was arraigned on Saturday. Following a
joint investigation between the state police and the Providence Police
Department, Lugo was arrested on a State Police affidavit and charged with
simple assault and disorderly conduct. He was released on personal recognizance
and assigned a re-arraignment date next month. He is suspended with pay from
the Providence Police Department while the incident remains under
investigation.
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