A Phoenix man was arrested Sunday after video captured him allegedly trampling a growing memorial for Charlie Kirk outside the Turning Point USA headquarters, police said.
Phoenix police identified the suspect as 19-year-old Ryder Corral and said he was taken into custody and will be booked on charges that include criminal damage and disorderly conduct. Authorities said the incident occurred at about 9:50 a.m. and did not result in any serious injuries.
Video released by local media showed a man walking through the memorial and kicking over items, including flowers, vases and flags, as onlookers gathered. Witnesses said the man moved through roughly 15 yards of the tribute before a mourner and other bystanders intervened. One mourner is seen pulling the man from the display and throwing him to the ground, after which local law enforcement escorted the suspect from the scene.
Phoenix Police Department Public Information Sergeant Philip Krynsky said officers were already in the area assisting with traffic control because of the large community presence when the disturbance occurred. Krynsky said no serious injuries were reported and that the suspect would be booked on the listed charges.
In footage of the incident, the man allegedly damaging the memorial is wearing a black shirt featuring an American flag and an eagle. Media outlets noted the shirt bears a resemblance to clothing shown in previously released images of a person of interest in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, who was killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
The suspected shooter in the Utah attack, identified by authorities as Tyler Robinson, was arrested Friday after a roughly 33-hour manhunt, law enforcement officials said. The FBI had released photos of the person of interest showing a thin male wearing jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt with an American flag graphic, along with dark sunglasses and a hat.
Kirk, a husband and father, was fatally shot while speaking at an event on the Orem, Utah, campus. He was taken to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 31 years old.
Turning Point USA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Local authorities in Phoenix continue to investigate the memorial incident and said the suspect will be processed according to standard booking procedures.
The incident at the Phoenix headquarters followed days of heightened attention and security concerns after the shooting in Utah, which prompted law enforcement agencies to release images and descriptions of the person of interest and to mount a multi-agency search that concluded with an arrest. Investigators have not publicly linked the Phoenix arrest to the Utah shooting, and authorities cautioned against drawing conclusions based solely on similarities in clothing observed in separate videos.