Donald Trump Could Be Charged In Rally Sucker-Punch Incident, Reports Say

Investigators in North Carolina are considering charging Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump with inciting a riot after a protester at one of his rallies was sucker-punched by a supporter, authorities confirmed Monday.

News of the investigation comes one day before five key states — including Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina — vote in the presidential primaries.

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At issue is an incident captured on video last week that showed a supporter at a Trump rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, punch a protester in the face as he was being led out.

John McGraw, 78, was arrested for assault by the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. When McGraw told media that he "might have to kill" the protester, he was charged with communicating threats.

Now, Trump could get hit with a charge of his own, apparently for remarks he's made at rallies, the sheriff's office said in a statement.

"Our investigation is not complete as to the incidents of Wednesday, March 9, 2016," the statement said. "We are continuing to look at the totality of these circumstances, including any additional charges against Mr. McGraw, including the potential of whether there was conduct on the part of Mr. Trump or the Trump campaign which rose to the level of inciting a riot, and including the actions or inactions of our deputies."

Trump had told supporters in Iowa last month that they should "knock the crap out of" anyone who tried to throw a tomato at him and that he would pay their legal bills if they did so. And at another event, he said he missed the good old days when protesters were removed from rallies on stretchers.

The first report about possible charges appeared under a web headline from WRAL that read, "Latest: Cumberland authorities weigh charging Trump following rally violence."

Gilbert Baez, the WRAL reporter who said that Trump could be charged, reported that Cumberland County Sheriff's Attorney Ronnie Mitchell told him that investigators went through Trump's speech on the day of the rally "with a fine-toothed comb."

"During their analysis of that speech, there were several instances where Trump made comments that incited the folks to continue violent acts during that rally here in Fayetteville," Baez told MSNBC.

"So they are considering whether to charge Donald Trump for the violence that happened here in Fayetteville," he said. "They have not decided that they will, but they are considering that right now."

Neither the sheriff's office nor Mitchell's office immediately returned a call from Patch seeking confirmation and additional information.

Mitchell's office gave a statement to the Washington Post, saying, "We are continuing to look at the totality of these circumstances...including the potential of whether there was conduct on the part of Mr. Trump or the Trump campaign which rose to the level of inciting a riot."

The Trump campaign responded with a lengthy statement, boasting about the rally's "extremely thought out and well-received speech" and said that there was "a great feeling of warmth, well-being and even love in the arena."

The statement continued: "During the speech, people would stand up intermittently in small groups or singles and loudly interrupt Mr. Trump's speech. In some cases they used foul language, screamed vulgarities and made obscene gestures, annoying the very well behaved audience.

"The people that stood were loud, rude and abrasive. On one occasion, while the police were escorting a young man out of the arena, he seemed to lift his hand and make an obscene gesture. We are told a 78-year-old man took great exception to this."

Under North Carolina law, inciting a riot is a Class 1 misdemeanor described as, "Any person who willfully incites or urges another to engage in a riot, so that as a result of such inciting or urging a riot occurs or a clear and present danger of a riot is created."

If the riot causes more than $1,500 in property damages or "serious bodily injury" to somebody, the charge can be upgraded to a Class F felony.

Photo by Gage Skidmore, Flickr

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