Vivek Ramaswamy reveals single mom was pummeled by 'thugs' during mass brawl in Cincinnati
His reveal comes as Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced five people have been charged in connection with the melee that took place in the city's downtown Friday.
Ramaswamy was referring to a woman who, as Vice President JD Vance put it, was 'sucker punched' by a 'grown man' during the fight.
The former presidential candidate, now running for Ohio governor, confirmed he'd communicated with the victim Monday.
'I spoke to Holly earlier today (the woman tragically assaulted in Cincinnati this weekend). She's a single working mom who went to a friend's birthday party. It's unconscionable that there were no police present in that area of Cincinnati on a Friday night, or even an ambulance to take her to the hospital.'
Ramaswamy - who was originally supposed to be the co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk - said that Holly has not received any messages from state or local officials yet, aside from a police detective.
He then promised to have a no-nonsense attitude towards crime if he were elected in 2026.
'Leftists like to lecture about 'systemic injustice' while thugs turn our turn cities into war zones. I'm done with their excuses. As governor, I'll make sure they're behind bars, not running wild,' he wrote.
'Our cops will have the green light to restore order—no apologies. Holly appreciates the kind words and prayers from patriots across the country, and hopes that the publicity around her story ensures that local & state leaders clean up our failing cities. We hope to visit Holly soon as she recovers.'
Theetge did not specify the charges in a press conference Monday but said they would be the first of many.
'We have five we have charged, and anticipate more,' she said.
While Theetge wouldn't say the condition of the victims, Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober said they suffered 'pretty serious injuries' and would be 'recovering from this for a while.'
Ramaswamy is the second major politician to speak out against the violence, after fellow Ohioan and Vice President JD Vance spoke out in a speech Monday.
The Vice President didn't hold back as he made comment on horrific footage of the attack that unfolded on Friday night in downtown Cincinnati, with the victims, a man and woman, being swarmed by a violent crowd.
He said: 'What I saw, and I haven't seen the full context, but what I saw is a mob of lawless thugs beating up on an innocent person.
'It's disgusting and I hope every single one of those people who engage in violence is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
'I don't know the full context, but the one part that I saw that was really gruesome is you had a grown man who sucker punched a middle-age woman,' he added, referencing the woman, Holly, who Ramaswamy spoke to.
'That person ought to go to jail for a very long time - and frankly, he's lucky there weren't some better people around because they would've handled it themselves.
'We have got to make great American cities safe again for families and children, the only way to destroy that street violence is to take the thugs who engage in that violence and throw their asses in prison.'
In the shocking clip, a man in a white t-shirt is can be seen being shoved to ground by two men and repeatedly beaten as other members of the crowd jeer and join in.
The gang beat the man for nearly a minute as he lay in the middle of the street, seemingly stepping on his head multiple times.
When the barrage of attacks temporarily stopped, he is seen attempting to stand - but immediately fell over in apparent disorientation. One attacker yelled out 'my man's drunk'.
A woman in a black dress rushed to his aid, but was attacked by the crowd, suffering two blows to the face.
The impact caused her to fall, with her head slamming the pavement. She became unconscious as blood spewed from her mouth.
The Friday night assault at the intersection of Fourth and Elm Streets started with a verbal dispute between at least two men, according to police.
The carnage left at least two people, the unidentified male and female victim, injured. A good Samaritan rushed them to a local hospital in the aftermath, WKRC reported.
Investigators have also received tips on some of the attackers' identities, Kober said.
'I would ask... that the public play a part in this, because stuff like this shouldn't happen in our city, but when it does, we need people to step forward, that way we can bring these people to justice.'
Kober argued there is 'no place in society' for the violence displayed Friday night and, in separate remarks to WLWT, called the brawl 'disgusting'.
What's equally disgusting is those who chose to watch and record instead of calling 911, attempting to defuse the situation or render aid.'
Police Chief Teresa Theetge said the incident was not connected to the jazz festival that was going on in Cincinnati that weekend. 'This was a sudden dispute between individuals following a verbal altercation,' she added.
Elon Musk had waded in on the brawl, posting to his social media that he was frustrated with a lack of response to the incident.
Musk, apparently frustrated by the heinous act of violence, took to his social media platform X to question what he suggested was a lack of response to the incident.
'Why zero stories?' the Tesla CEO asked Sunday, retweeting a post from the End Wokeness X account alleging that the attack wasn't being covered by America's major news outlets.
End Wokeness posted a tweet early Sunday afternoon claiming CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox News, The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others, had failed to cover the attack.
By late Sunday evening the terrifying assault had been covered by several local and national media outlets, including the Daily Mail and Fox News.
The central business district and riverfront area where the assault took place has seen a 25 percent increase in violence compared to last year, according to Cincinnati police data published July 21.
The data also shows that there were 12 aggravated assaults in the city between January 1 through July 21, compared to 16 during the same time period last year.
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