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Man Arrested After Stabbing ‘Baby Trump’ Balloon During President’s Visit to Alabama

3 minute read

A man was arrested on Saturday in Alabama after allegedly stabbing a giant inflatable “Baby Trump” balloon during the president’s visit to a college football game.

Hoyt Hutchinson, 32, was arrested Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after he tried to flee the scene of the stabbing. Hutchinson was charged with criminal mischief and later released on a $2,500 bond, according to a public statement from the police department.

The incident occurred during a planned protest of Trump’s visit to Tuscaloosa to watch a University of Alabama football game. The visit had already stirred controversy after the University’s student government issued a memo saying anyone who caused disrupting behavior would be immediately removed from the game. The president was met with chants of “USA” when he appeared.

“Hoyt made sure our beloved president didn’t have to see this disrespectful balloon,” a statement posted on a GoFundMe page created to pay for Hutchison’s legal fees reads. While the page had raised $40,000 by the time of publication, a subsequent update from Hutchison says that balloon “sympathizers” had found the page, and reported it to GoFundMe. “Apparently we didn’t read the fine print,” the update reads. “GoFundMe is not going to allow these generous donations to help Hoyt. They will soon likely refund all your support.”

Hutchison has, instead, been asking his supporters to pay him using the Cash App e-payment service.

However, a GoFundMe spokesperson tells TIME that Hutchinson’s account remains active and he is permitted to withdraw the funds. The company says there is even a second account associated with his name that has already raised $13,000 by the time of publication; GoFundMe those funds are being held for Hutchinson.

“We are aware of the update made on the campaign,” the spokesperson tells TIME in a statement. “The campaign is active and it does not violate GoFundMe’s terms of service.”

The page also includes a video of his arrest in which he can be heard shouting “Trump 2020.”

After making bail, Hutchinson took to Facebook, saying he’d “do it again.”

“Some liberals tried to come to my hometown and start some trouble,” he says. “That ain’t happening.” Many of Hutchinson’s previous Facebook videos have included him sharing support for Trump.

Hutchinson did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment.

The ‘Baby Trump’ balloon protest, which first appeared in the U.K., was organized by Jim Girvan, according to the Associated Press, who said the man charged at the balloon with a knife and left an 8-foot-long gash. The balloon has made the rounds at Trump-related protests around the world, including Denmark, Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles.

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Write to Jasmine Aguilera at jasmine.aguilera@time.com