ORLANDO, Fla. – Two people were arrested Tuesday evening while President Donald Trump was hosting a rally in downtown Orlando to announce that he is seeking re-election in 2020, records show.
Orlando police said the first arrest happened around 7:30 p.m., about a block away from the Amway Center.
Steven Ashley Ingram, 33, was involved in a heated conversation with another man, Gary Snow, that turned violent when Ingram shoved the other man with his left hand, according to the affidavit.
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Ingram said in an email to News 6 that he came to the rally to protest Trump's appearance and show support for Orlando's LGBTQ+ community.
He said Snow and a group of about 20 others spewed homophobic insults toward him because he was wearing a rainbow flag pin on his jacket. He wrote that Snow put his hand on his shoulder and made threats.
"My reaction was based on my 8 and a half years of training as a Marine Corps infantryman, and I immediately reacted in self-defense," Ingram wrote.
Authorities said they arrested Ingram, of Haines City, on a disorderly conduct charge because he was determined to be the primary aggressor in the incident.
The Florida Times-Union reports that Snow is known for being involved in controversies at political events. Ingram called him a "known provocateur at Trump rallies."
Less than an hour after that arrest, 51-year-old Daniel Kestner, of St. Augustine, was outside the venue arguing with another man when he noticed an Orlando Sentinel reporter filming him on his phone.
Video tweeted by the reporter shows Kestner trying to knock the cellphone from his hands while hurling insults and threats, according to the affidavit.
Warning: Video below contains graphic language
A Trump supporter tried knocking my phone out of my hand as I was recording him being kicked out of the Amway Center. #TrumpRallyOrlando #trumpinOrlando pic.twitter.com/p0IcqKCrSt
— Michael Williams (@michaeldamianw) June 19, 2019
Police said Kestner smelled of alcohol.
He was arrested on a battery charge.
Earlier in the day, Kestner spoke with News 6 reporter Mike DeForest outside Wahlburgers Burger Restaurant. He and another man, who doesn't identify as a Trump supporter, struck up an unlikely friendship while having drinks.
"I'm thinking I love Trump and I just want to speak my mind and show my support for Trump and that's what I'm here for," Kestner said.
He and Ingram have since bonded out of the Orange County Jail.
Orlando police have not yet said how many people attended the event. On Wednesday, crews were seen cleaning up chairs, coolers and trash that supporters left behind.