TAMPA,Fla. -- Things got heated and physical during a rally for Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis today.
DeSantis was speaking to a crowd of about 65 people at the La Teresita restaurant in Tampa when a protester began questioning DeSantis about $145,000 spent for travel on press and TV appearances while DeSantis was still a Congressman.
At that point, members of the crowd started booing, shouting at the man and chanting “USA” loudly.
A few seconds later another man can be seen grabbing the protestor and pushing him toward the exit.
The man who was tossed out is holding his cell phone recording the entire incident and lets the man who pushed him know that he plans to file charges against him.
At that point, there is a brief discussion with people who operate the restaurant about whether they want the protester to leave the property.
As that discussion is taking place, the protester walks back into the room where DeSantis was still addressing the crowd and begins asking the same questions he had earlier.
This time, a second man, grabs the protester and begins shoving him, again, toward the exit.
Outside, people who identify themselves as operators of the restaurant ask the man to leave the property. He, in turn, asked them to contact Tampa police, who showed up at the scene a few minutes later.
The man who had been shoved then shows Tampa police the confrontations he had recorded on his own phone, and tells them, again, he would like to press charges.
Outside, DeSantis supporters speculated that the protester had been paid for his appearance, and called for more civility in the political arena.
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