A fight reportedly broke out between members during a recent Republican Committee meeting in Arkansas.
The brawl started when Saline County Committee member Jonathan Newcomb allegedly made a derogatory comment regarding a woman's nose ring at the state's Republican Committee meeting, according to FOX26.
Jimmie Cavin, 62, said that since Newcomb was intimidating the woman he decided to verbally confront him to attempt to divert the situation.
Footage then shows Newcomb, decked out in blue overalls, walking aggressively toward the much smaller Cavin, clad in a tight pink t-shirt. Cavin appears to assume a defensive stance before apparently popping Newcomb in the face. Newcomb crashed to the floor as other meeting members rushed in to break up the fight.
Watch:
Warning: this footage may be graphic. Watch at your own discretion.
In a Facebook post the next day, Cavin said that he acted in “self-defense.”
“I was standing at the back of the room and when I saw what [Newcomb] was doing, I … told [Newcomb] to not look at her but to look at me and to leave her alone,” Cavin wrote. “I was hoping that would defuse [sic] the situation.”
As Newcomb came toward Cavin, he allegedly asked, “What are you gonna' do, boy?”
“As he got close, I prepared myself by taking a defensive position and told him to back off which did not faze him one bit so I put my hand up in an effort to stop him again,” Cavin said in the post. “However, he just kept coming, I could not hold him back, and when he was upon me, I knew I had no choice but to defend myself in the hopes of not getting hurt or worse.”
Regarding the violent confrontation, Cavin said, “I make zero apologies for my actions last night and in fact feel pride this morning for standing up to a massive bully.”
“To be clear, I do not advocate violence. However, I believe that violence is a last resort in the defense of myself and others as is our right under Arkansas law. Had I not acted to defend myself, I and others could have been severely hurt. My attorney spoke to several persons present last night and they all reported feeling threatened by Newc. Newc approached my attorney and attempted to fight him as well after I had left the building,” the statement continued.
“I also want to make crystal clear that if anyone doesn't like or has a problem with what I did then please pay particular attention to the following. I…..DO…..NOT…..CARE…..PERIOD.”
“What I am going to do now is continue to do what I do by fighting corruption and wrongdoing in government around the State, stand for those who are not able to stand for themselves, and fight for our freedoms. If that bothers you then get used to it because I am like country music—I'm here to stay,” he concluded.
The woman with the nose ring, identified by Cavin as Kandi Cox, responded to Cavin's Facebook post, writing, “I am so thankful for you! You are a true patriot hero!”
No charges were filed.
