Massachusetts woman is charged with assault for 'pushing a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran into an intersection because he was holding a Trump sign'
Kiara Dudley, 34, has been charged with assault after she allegedly pushed an elderly veteran to the ground while he was holding a pro-Trump sign
A Massachusetts woman has been charged with assault after she allegedly pushed an elderly veteran to the ground while he was holding a pro-Trump sign.
Kiara Dudley, 34, was taken into custody following the purported attack on 73-year-old George Griffin, which is said to have occurred in the town of Douglas on Saturday.
Griffin - who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War - was standing on the town's Main Street with his wife, Joann, brandishing a 'Veterans For Trump' sign.
According to Douglas police, the couple were subsequently approached by a small group who 'began to berate them with insults and demanded that they leave.'
Dudley was among the crowd and continued to follow the couple as they moved away from the area.
Griffin - who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War - was standing on the town's Main Street with his wife, Joann, brandishing a 'Veterans For Trump' sign
She reportedly 'bumped' Griffin with her body, as another person stomped on his Trump sign.
As he bent over to pick up the sign, Dudley is said to have 'knocked Griffin to the ground', leaving him with minor injuries.
Griffin landed in an intersection and says he was lucky not to have been run over.
Several onlookers noticed the scuffle and called 911.
Dudley was subsequently charged with Assault and Battery on an Elderly Person Causing Injury and was released on a $250 cash bail.
'She grabbed my arm and bowled me over into the middle of the street,' Griffin stated during an interview with WCVB on Monday.
, Dudley is said to have 'knocked Griffin to the ground', leaving him with minor injuries
However, Dudley describes things differently.
She told the local news network that she was actually a victim of an attack perpetrated at the hands of Griffin.
'I was attacked by George Griffin. He came at me, tried to steal my sign. He broke my necklace. He tried to trip me, and then he told the police that I did it to him. He lied,' Dudley claimed.
She did not divulge her politics, but she was wearing a Bernie Sanders sticker at the time of her arrest, and has a 'Black Lives Matter' banner on her Facebook account, which has otherwise been locked down.
Dudley appeared in court on Monday where a judge ordered her to stay away from Griffin
She appeared at a hearing on Monday where a judge ordered her to stay away from Griffin. She is due to return to court at the end of next month.
Meanwhile, Griffin denies allegations that he acted aggressively towards Dudley in any way.
He says that he and his wife are actually 'praying' for her.
The veteran also vows that the incident has not deterred him from showing his support for President Trump.
I'm not a hero. I'm not anything. I'm just a guy who's out here holding a sign, and just wanting to show support for my candidate,' he told Boston.com.
Dudley claims that she was actually a victim of an attack perpetrated at the hands of Griffin