Donald Trump rally attendee charged with hitting black man

Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.

A white Donald Trump rally attendee was charged with assault Thursday after he was caught on video hitting a black man being escorted by deputies from the venue, authorities said.

A news release from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said John Franklin McGraw, 78, of Linden, was charged with assault and disorderly conduct after the rally for the Republican presidential front-runner Wednesday in Fayetteville.

The release said 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.

McGraw was arrested Thursday after investigators reviewed a video posted on social media. Videos from the event show a man with a ponytail and cowboy hat hitting a black man being escorted from the seating area.

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.

The television program “Inside Edition” said it interviewed McGraw after the incident and asked him if he liked the rally.

According to the video posted online by the program, he responded: “You bet I liked it ... knocking the hell out of that big mouth.”

The video shows the man going on to say: “Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.”