Ohio State University placed Salmon P. Chase Center Assistant Professor Luke Perez on administrative leave after video showed him assaulting a cameraman Monday afternoon.
The Ohio political blog, The Rooster, published video Wednesday of author D.J. Byrnes and documentary filmmaker Mike Newman trying to interview former President E. Gordon Gee inside Smith Laboratory about Ohio billionaire Les Wexner and other topics. In the video, Perez steps in front of Newman to block his access to Gee and then assaults the man, throwing him to the ground.
Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said Wednesday in an emailed statement Perez was placed on paid administrative leave. Johnson said individuals on administrative leave are not allowed on campus, with limited exceptions for things like medical appointments.
“We are aware of the incident, and it is very concerning. The faculty member involved has been placed on administrative leave pending a full OSUPD investigation and thorough review of the facts,” Johnson said.
Johnson explained in the email that generally, and not about this specific incident, Ohio State is an open, public campus. Members of the news media are welcome in public spaces, including public buildings, as long as they are not disruptive.
Perez was hired recently by Ohio State to work at the Chase Center, a program mandated by the Ohio Legislature and aimed at quelling what lawmakers believe is liberal bias on college campuses. He previously taught at Arizona State University.
Gee was hired as a consultant for the Chase Center by OSU President Ted Carter. Part of Gee’s job is trying to recruit professors to work at the Chase Center.
Perez’s OSU profile said he is a scholar of “American Grand Strategy, the ethics of war, and religion and international politics.”
Byrnes said in his blog post that he isn’t affiliated with Newman. Byrnes gave the man a pseudonym in the blog post.
Byrnes told WOSU Wednesday he wants Perez to be criminally charged. The two reported the incident to Ohio State University's Police Department.
“I’ve done this for a while now and that was one of the most obscene and obnoxious actions I have ever seen,” Byrnes said.
Byrnes said before the assault happened, Perez repeatedly told the two he didn’t want to be filmed. Ohio is a one-party consent state, meaning you do not need a person’s consent to record a conversation you are actively involved in.
Byrnes regularly tries to interview politicians and prominent figures in Ohio about controversial topics by walking up to them in the hallways of the Ohio Statehouse and Columbus City Hall. He caught Gee as the former Ohio State president was coming out of a men’s bathroom.
After the incident, the two attempted to further question Gee, but were blocked from an elevator by Christopher Green, the associate director of the Chase Center.
In video, Green shouts “you are assaulting me” as Byrnes attempts to enter to the public building’s elevator. The two tried to follow Gee and Green outside by going down the stairs.
In his blog, Byrnes said he was trying to question Gee about Ohio billionaire Les Wexner after Gee made comments on WOSU's All Sides with Amy Juravich in January. Gee said attempts to take Wexner’s name off of Ohio State buildings was “cancel culture.”
Wexner is being deposed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 18 about his close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein file documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice name Wexner as one of Epstein’s co-conspirators, but Wexner was never charged with any crime.
Byrnes said Gee handled the questions like a professional, but Byrnes said Gee and Green didn’t try to prevent Perez from assaulting Newman.
Byrnes said Newman was trying to interview Gee about student loan debt.
Perez declined to comment in a statement sent to WOSU.
