UPDATE 11:58 p.m. ET: The father of the 24-year-old man who tackled an anti-Trump speaker down a flight of steps at Ohio State University said his son has Asperger’s Syndrome, the
Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday night.
Asperger’s is a form of autism that can be associated with difficulty in social situations and emotional control.
“I actually personally know the assailant, and he is NOT a terrible person. Not by a long shot,” Drew Riedel, a friend of Shane Michael Stanton, wrote in a
Facebook post. “He is part of the DD community (developmental disabilities) as he has Asperger’s and has worked really hard to adjust / socialize into the Ohio State community.”
Noting that Stanton is “actually a Hillary supporter,” Riedel added that “no one will have deeper remorse and regret than he will over letting his emotions get the best of him and for what physical damage could have been inflicted upon the victim. So before you assume anything about his character, please refrain.”