A right-wing politician running in Sao Paulo's mayoral race was taken to the hospital after another candidate hit him with a metal chair during their debate on live television.
José Luiz Datena, a former TV host turned candidate, slammed Pablo Marçal, a personal development influencer turned right-wing politician, with the chair after Marçal referred to Datena's previous sexual misconduct allegations, as reported by the Associated Press.
Marçal accused Datena of wanting to attack him during the last debate, but told him he was "not even man enough to do this," before Datena walked over to his podium carrying the chair above his head and swung it down into Marçal's side. TV Cultura's moderator quickly interrupted the debate and cut to commercials.
The debate resumed later Sunday night but without Marçal. Datena was expelled from the debate.
Video of Marçal being rushed to the hospital was shared by his team. He said in social media posts Monday that he had felt pain while breathing, and suffered a fractured rib.
No immediate reports of Datena's arrest were made, however a lawyer did report him to police, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Datena's sexual misconduct allegations were dropped by prosecutors after the accuser retracted her statements, and no charges were ever filed.
Datena told reporters that his reaction was intense because he believed the allegations caused a relative to suffer a stroke and die.
"Unfortunately, I lost my head," Datena told reporters afterwards. "I could have simply left the debate, gone home, which would have been much better. But just as I cry, a human reaction, this was a human reaction that I couldn't contain."
Marçal's campaign team stated that the debate should not have continued without him. They said they hope legal measures will be taken against Datena.
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