Man Arrested for Allegedly Brandishing Weapons at Trump Rally
A Maine rally for President Donald Trump was briefly disrupted Wednesday by a man allegedly brandishing weapons who was later arrested by police.
The rally was headlined by Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has been acting as a Trump surrogate in the presidential election’s stretch run, according to Dakota News Now.
At around 9:45 a.m., Noem arrived on a Team Trump bus at a Bangor, Maine, strip mall.
Trump himself was not in attendance.
Great stop this morning with @TommyHicksGOP and @KristiNoem at the Trump Victory Field Office in Bangor, ME!
Thank you to all the volunteers who came out to cheer on @TeamTrumpOnTour! pic.twitter.com/xcVOXdcM9p
— Corey R. Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) October 28, 2020
Her arrival coincided with a string of alleged interactions between Peter Beitzell, 58, of Bangor, and Trump supporters.
Police said the incident began with angry words and Trump supporters being harassed, and escalated when Beitzell had an interaction with a member of Noem’s security team.
Beitzell at one moved toward the Trump supporters while brandishing a wooden baton and a knife, police said. He was told to put them weapons away, but allegedly walked toward a security guard while still holding them.
Although Beitzell eventually put the weapons away in his vehicle, police arrived and arrested him, authorities said. He faces several charges, including a felony charge of threatening with a criminal weapon.
Noem “was not in harm’s way” at any point, Noem spokeswoman Maggie Seidel told The Associated Press.
The rally continued as planned and no one was injured.
.@govkristinoem is speaking to supporters now. She’s says leadership has consequences and the people of Maine should get out and vote for @realDonaldTrump. @WABI_TV5 pic.twitter.com/UgCtktynM2
— Alyssa Thurlow (@AlyssaJThurlow) October 28, 2020
In giving his side of the story, Beitzell said the trouble began when he flipped off the bus carrying Noem.
Three men approached him, he said, making him feel threatened. One was actually a South Dakota police officer, but Beitzell insisted the officer did not show his badge.
Hence, he said, the weapons.
“Yes, I was an idiot,” Beitzell told the AP. “I was a dummy who pulled a weapon, but there were three of them marching over toward me.”
Biden says “we’ve never lived up to it” about America’s founding ideal, that all men (and women) are created equal.
He could not be more WRONG. America has done more to advance Freedom and Equality than any nation in history.
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) October 23, 2020
Noem, who was at a Trump rally in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday, went on to campaign for the president in New Hampshire later on Wednesday.
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