Man charged with assault after attack on UT Tyler Turning Point USA event
Authorities in Texas have identified the individual accused of attacking students at a Turning Point USA event on the University of Texas at Tyler campus on Tuesday. Ciro Tomlian faces charges following the incident, which was captured on video.
Video footage depicts a man, later identified as Tomlian, throwing an American flag to the ground and striking a group of people with a cane. He is described as a former student who was not currently enrolled at the university.
Tomlian is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault causing bodily injury. The video shows him making disparaging remarks and gestures towards the students before being apprehended by campus police. While in custody, he claimed the incident was an act of self-defense and stated, “freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences.”
University of Texas at Tyler President Dr. Julie V. Philley confirmed the attack and stated, “An individual, who is not a UT Tyler student, assaulted three people. UT Tyler police responded immediately and arrested the individual.” She emphasized the university’s commitment to free speech and intolerance of violence. Tomlian is currently being held at the Smith County jail and has been barred from the university grounds.
The incident follows a series of events targeting Turning Point USA, including the Election Day arrest of a 70-year-old poet who allegedly slapped a Turning Point Action volunteer in New Hampshire. Last year, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson, the suspect in that case, has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial in June 2028.
Source
“MICHAEL RUIZ: Texas police ID man charged with assault in UT Tyler Turning Point USA attack caught on video”
Read the original report ↗This story was written with AI tools from the original report credited above and published after automatic checks. No person read it before it was published. If you spot an error, please tell us: corrections are published on our corrections page. Read our editorial policy · Report an error · Corrections
Read next
Cruise passenger charged with murder following onboard death
Federal authorities have released court documents detailing a chilling confession from a man accused of murdering a woman aboard a cruise ship.
Related
Caught up in five lines
The Brief: the day’s biggest stories, written by our desk at and .