Video 0:34
Video
Police Refute Viral Claims of Stabbing Outside Donald Trump's Ohio Rally
Read the full articleChillicothe police refuted viral social media claims of a stabbing outside Donald Trump's campaign rally at Ohio University Chillicothe. Officials said an officer's pocketknife clip caught on a man's shirt while breaking up a fight, and the knife never opened.
How we know this
The sources and records behind this story, with the facts they support.
https://www.newsweek.com/police-deny-stabbing-at-trump-rally-after-video-sparks-claims-12634836
Supporting evidence (9)
The Chillicothe Police Department denied viral claims that a Donald Trump supporter was stabbed outside a presidential rally on Wednesday, stating that footage instead showed an officer's pocketknife caught on a man's shirt during a fight.
Read supporting passage
Police in Ohio have denied viral claims that a Donald Trump supporter was stabbed outside a presidential rally on Wednesday, saying footage of the incident instead showed an officer's pocketknife caught on a man's shirt during a fight. The Chillicothe Police Department said an officer intervened to break up an altercation between two people when the retention clip securing the officer's pocketknife became caught in one of the individuals' shirts.
The altercation occurred outside the Shoemaker Center on the Ohio University Chillicothe campus, where Trump addressed supporters on Wednesday evening.
Read supporting passage
The account contradicts claims circulating on social media that a Trump supporter was stabbed outside the rally while the president addressed supporters at the Shoemaker Center on the Ohio University Chillicothe campus on Wednesday evening.
Capt. Michael Short of the Chillicothe Police Department told Newsweek that there was no stabbing.
Read supporting passage
"There was no stabbing," Micheal Short, a captain at the Chillicothe Police Department, told Newsweek.
The department said an officer intervened to break up an altercation between two people when the retention clip on the officer's pocketknife caught on one of the individuals' shirts, adding that the knife did not open.
Read supporting passage
The Chillicothe Police Department said an officer intervened to break up an altercation between two people when the retention clip securing the officer's pocketknife became caught in one of the individuals' shirts. The knife did not open, the department said.
Viral speculation spread online after video from outside the venue prompted claims of a stabbing before police issued their explanation.
Read supporting passage
The video prompted speculation about what had happened outside the venue, with claims of a stabbing spreading before police issued their explanation.
In the footage, a young man told police, "I think I've been stabbed," and asked, "Is there a knife in my back?"
Read supporting passage
The chaotic footage, in which Trump can be heard speaking in the background, showed a young man asking police officers "Is there a knife in my back?", and telling them "I think I've been stabbed." An officer is seen flashing a torch onto the man while checking his body for wounds as onlookers gathered around in shock.
Cameras captured an orange pocketknife handle sticking out from the man's shirt as onlookers called for an arrest.
Read supporting passage
A spat erupts between onlookers and police officers as they call for an individual to be arrested at the scene. The man who was believed to have been stabbed then sits on the side of the pavement as cameras flash around him, capturing the sight of an orange pocketknife handle sticking out from his black T-shirt.
Conservative activist Tyer Bowyer shared the footage on X, claiming that a supporter had been stabbed by an anti-Trump individual.
Read supporting passage
Conservative activist Tyer Bowyer shared the footage of the incident on X, claiming that a Trump supporter had been stabbed by an anti-Trump individual.
The incident occurred as Trump visited Chillicothe as part of a campaign tour ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Read supporting passage
The incident occurred as Trump visited Chillicothe as part of his campaigning blitz ahead of the midterms elections on November 3.
Supporting evidence (1)
His appearance also drew a small group of protesters, the Scioto Valley Guardian reported.
Read supporting passage
Trump's visit drew a small group of protesters ... the Scioto Valley Guardian reported.