Man charged with hitting person being taken from Trump rally

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff’s office says deputies were looking down at coliseum stairs when a man being escorted out of a Trump rally was punched in the face.

A news release from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said John Franklin McGraw, of Linden, was charged with assault and disorderly conduct after the altercation at the rally Wednesday in Fayetteville.

The release says the assault victim was being escorted out of Crown Coliseum after disrupting the rally, and deputies had their eyes on the stairs when the assault happened.

The suspect was arrested Thursday after investigators reviewed a video posted on social media.

Sheriff Earl Butler condemned the assault and launched an internal investigation into how deputies handled the situation.

Listings for McGraw rang disconnected. Authorities didn’t respond to an email asking if he had an attorney.

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