Video appears to show a man approaching a Turning Point USA tent at the University of Texas at Tyler and attacking people there. Three people were allegedly assaulted.
Ciro Stephen Tomlian, 19, is accused of the incident, which took place Tuesday. In the footage, he walks toward the tent wearing a cape and carrying what looks like a staff or cane. He pulls an American flag from the tent, then argues with TPUSA members, calling them “fascist pieces of” profanity.
He swears at the group, raises his middle finger and shouts at them to back away. The video appears to show him swinging the cane before an officer rushes in and handcuffs him.
“I apologize, Officer,” Tomlian says.
UT Tyler President Dr. Julie Philley said an individual had assaulted three people on the main campus. “Everyone has the right to free speech, and violence will not be tolerated at this university,” she said.
A university spokesperson said Tomlian was previously a student and is now subject to a criminal trespass warning on campus. Smith County Jail records show he was booked on two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one charge of assault causing bodily injury.
TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet praised the students’ response, saying they stayed calm and subdued the man until police arrived. He also thanked campus police and Philley, adding that students should not have to face violence on campus.
TPUSA field representative Janae Jenson said students regularly encounter threats and insults. “Something like this is bound to happen eventually on campuses,” she said.
