An off-duty Rhode Island police officer was arrested on Saturday and placed on leave after allegedly punching a woman at an abortion protest, according to multiple sources.
Jeann Lugo, a 35-year-old Providence police patrolman, who was running for Senate, was arrested on charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct, according to state police.
Jennifer Rourke, a Democratic state Senate candidate, tweeted a video on Saturday morning, claiming that Lugo, her opponent, attacked her. Rourke gave a speech on Friday outside of the state house in Providence on Friday following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case that overturns abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade.
Rourke told CNN that she was trying to deescalate a situation between others at the protest when she got hit in the face. The video shows an altercation ongoing, and Rourke steps in to help, but was hit right away.
"I'm a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate," Rourke tweeted. "Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent – a police officer – violently attacked me.
"This is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. I won't give up."
According to the state police news release, Lugo turned himself in, was arraigned, and then released.
Providence Police Department released a statement on Twitter on Saturday morning to announce a criminal investigation into the incident, and said that Lugo was "placed on administrative leave w/pay this morning, pending a criminal investigation and administrative review."
A campaign spokesman for Rourke told CNBC that she went to a hospital in Rhode Island for a CT scan on Saturday following the incident.
"She said she was doing OK but was experiencing a lot of tenderness in her face and ringing in her ears," the Associated Press noted.
Rourke said in a phone interview with The Boston Globe on Saturday that she was "hit multiple times." She added that the two had never met in person, and she was just trying to prevent violence at the protest.
"I looked him in his face," Rourke said. "I’ve never even had a conversation with him [in person]. I just know him from social media."
"Why attack me? I was the one trying to prevent this. It’s disappointing,” she added. "I am a survivor of domestic violence and I just froze."
In a separate phone interview with the AP, Rourke said she was shocked when he turned to violence.
"I’m disappointed he chose to use violence in this way. As a police officer, he’s trained to deescalate. He did not do what he was trained to do," Rourke said.
Lugo did not deny punching Rourke when he spoke to The Providence Journal.
"I'm not going to deny," Lugo said. "It was very chaotic, so I can't really tell you right now. Everything happened very fast."
Lugo also emailed with the Boston Globe and said that he "stepped in to protect someone" that was in the altercation.
"As an officer that swore to protect and serve our communities, I, unfortunately, saw myself in a situation that no individual should see themselves in," Lugo said in the email. "I stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking."
In a since deleted tweet, Lugo said, "I will not be running for any office this fall," according to NBC News. Additionally, his Twitter account appears to no longer exist.
Related
Related
