A supporter of former US President Donald Trump outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York City on March 21, 2023
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • A female Trump supporter protesting the Manhattan DA's probe bumped into a family
  • The Trump supporter argued with the couple and pulled a knife
  • Manhattan court officers rushed to the scene and arrested the Trump supporter

A female supporter of former President Donald Trump got arrested after pulling a knife on a family outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York.

Three bystanders who saw the incident told Politico that the female Trump supporter bumped into a man and woman with two children in strollers while crossing the intersection of Hogan Place and Centre Street.

The woman, identified as Angelica Rucker, carried a sign that read, "I support Trump, do you?" She confronted the couple and their kids before pulling a knife, approximately 6 inches long, and waved it at the family.

"Angelica Rucker pulled a knife from her right side belt hip area and began menacing one of the complainants with the knife as the verbal confrontation pursued," according to a court spokesperson.

Some officers outside the court rushed to the scene, pulled out their guns and ordered Rucker to drop the knife.

"The court officers were standing on the corner, and within 20 seconds, they were here, and she had dropped the knife," according to a bystander who wished to be anonymous.

"The woman yelled, 'Knife, knife,' and the court officers were on the Trump supporter like Voltron," the bystander added.

The court spokesperson said Rucker was arrested by court officers without incident and placed into custody while her cases were pending.

Rucker was reportedly protesting the Manhattan District Attorney's Office's investigation on Trump's involvement in hush money payment to adult film actress Storm Daniels.

Last week, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that he expects to be arrested, citing "illegal leaks" from the Manhattan DA's office.

The former president urged his supporters to "protest [and] take our nation back" as he braced for a possible indictment regarding the hush payments case.

However, Trump was not indicted nor arrested last week despite his revelation.

But Trump, seeking the White House for a third time, continued to warn of violence if he would be slapped with criminal charges.

In another Truth Social post, Trump said his possible indictment could lead to "death and destruction."

Meanwhile, the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused the former president of creating false expectations about his case. Bragg added that Trump's lawyer encouraged Republicans in Congress to interfere with the investigation.

Since January, Bragg's office has continued to present evidence to a New York grand jury about Trump's possible crimes related to paying Daniels before the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence.

Trump also faces several other investigations, including an election interference case in Georgia, his actions during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and his mishandling of classified documents.

Former President Donald Trump greets fans as he arrives at NCAA Wrestling Championships
Reuters