Cleveland Poll Worker Pulls Gun During Argument


A worker at the Louisa May Alcott School polling station in Cleveland, Ohio pulled out a gun during an argument with a fellow poll worker. The incident took place during Tuesday, March 15 primary voting in Ohio.

The man got into an argument with a poll worker and pulled a .380 caliber pistol out of his backpack. Police spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia said that he did not point the pistol at anyone, but he verbally threatened people at the polling place. No injuries were reported.

Students and teachers at the school were never in any danger. Cleveland Metropolitan School District spokeswoman Roseann Canfora said that polling locations are separated from teachers and students, and that voters and workers use different entrances to the facility. The functions of the school were not interrupted.

Police arrested the armed worker on charges of aggravated menacing, carrying a concealed weapon, and having a weapon under disability. In Ohio, if a person has been indicted or convinced of certain crimes, is dependent on drugs or alcohol, or has been deemed mentally incompetent, that person is not allowed to carry a weapon.  He also faces a marijuana possession charge; police found a small amount of marijuana in his pocket when he was arrested.

The man, who has not been identified, ran away after the argument and was taken into custody at West 107th Street and Detroit Avenue in Cleveland, about half of a mile away. The worker was fired from his job at the polling place.

The polling place remained open after the incident, according Mike West of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. He did not say if the incident interrupted voting before the man was taken into custody.

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