A man wearing a pro-Trump hat repeatedly punched an elderly election worker in San Antonio, Texas, Thursday evening, according to police, after the worker told him he wasn’t allowed to wear his hat inside a polling place.
The man, Jesse Lutzenberger, was booked on suspicion of injury to an elderly person, a third-degree felony. County records for Lutzenberger indicate he’s 63, and his victim is 69, according to the Bexar County sheriff.
The incident underscores concerns about election-related violence with just days to go until Election Day, as millions of Americans make their way to polling places around the country to vote early.
According to an incident report obtained by HuffPost on Friday, a deputy was dispatched to a library in Bexar County on Thursday night. The deputy said he spoke to a county election clerk who described Lutzenberger as wearing a “MAGA” or “TRUMP” baseball cap.
When the clerk asked him to remove it, he did but only temporarily. It is against state law to wear a hat with political messaging on it while voting, as it is considered electioneering.
Just minutes later, the clerk told police, he saw Lutzenberger put the cap back on his head, and when the clerk approached and asked him to remove it again, Lutzenberger allegedly responded with violence.
As the clerk and Lutzenberger were approaching the door to exit the polling place, “the suspect appeared to throw an arm back toward the victim,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a press conference Friday, noting he’d reviewed a video of the incident.
“I couldn’t tell, from what I saw, if it connected. But then the victim seemed to push off of the suspect at that point. The suspect then turned and threw several punches right at the face of the victim.”
According to the incident report, deputies claim Lutzenberg “struck [the victim] on his chest and facial area several times with his fist causing him pain and discomfort.”
Another witness also told officers they saw Lutzenberger allegedly hit the clerk “several times on his facial area” even as Lutzenberger’s wife urged her husband to stop.
Lutzenberger posted bail of $30,000, court records show.
It is unclear if Lutzenberger has retained an attorney. An email address associated with Lutzenberger did not immediately return a request for comment.
During a press conference Friday, Salazar called the incident “ugly.”
“I can’t think of anything like this happening during my time here as sheriff, and I certainly hope to never see it again,” he said.
The sheriff described seeing the victim push Lutzenberger away before the 63-year-old started swinging. He described Lutzenberger as around six feet tall ― “not a small man.”
“The victim in the case is an elderly man, 69 years of age, doing his job. He’s an early voting clerk,” the sheriff said.
Salazar said Lutzenberger left the library after the incident and went to a residence.
That’s where police said they found him. When Lutzenberger emerged from the home for questioning, Salazar said he remarked: “I’m the person you’re looking for.’”
According to the incident report, deputies on the scene reported that Lutzenberger “admitted to having an altercation” at the library.
The sheriff said Friday the victim was treated and today is “no worse for wear other than some marks to his face.”
Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen lamented the episode earlier Friday during a press conference.
“Obviously, people are getting a little bit more testy for standing in a line, and we understand that, but the officials are doing a fantastic job, and they don’t need to be treated like that,” Callanen said.
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She declined to answer questions regarding the alleged assailant’s political attire, referring reporters to law enforcement.
An investigation by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is ongoing. Online court records did not list information about an arraignment date for Lutzenberger.