A 19-year-old who previously attended the University of Texas at Tyler was arrested after a shocking incident where he allegedly desecrated an American flag at a Turning Point USA booth and assaulted several attendees.
The event occurred on November 10 during a local Turning Point USA chapter gathering known as “Pick Up the Mic,” which included open dialogue sessions featuring Preston Parsons from Texas Tech University.
University officials reported that three individuals—including a Turning Point USA representative—were assaulted. Representatives Alanna Kitchens and Lisette Ferguson captured footage of the disturbing events, as noted by Turning Point USA Frontlines.
In the video, a man donned in a black hat and dark attire approached the booth, tore down an American flag, and contemptuously remarked, “Ya’ll don’t deserve this.” He proceeded to brandish a cane menacingly and yelled, “Back the f*** off you fascist pieces of s***.”
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WATCH: Student tears down an American flag and assaults a TPUSA Field Rep plus two students with a prop cane after calling them “fascist pieces of s**t” during a Pick Up the Mic event at the University of Texas Tyler.
Campus police swiftly arrested the student and transported… pic.twitter.com/5NIkkD4N6c
— FRONTLINES TPUSA (@FrontlinesTPUSA) November 10, 2026
The footage further reveals him using the cane against attendees and striking at least one individual in the legs. A bystander intervened, restraining him until campus police arrived to take him into custody.
According to university officials, he is a former student without current enrollment status, and he received a criminal trespass warning prohibiting him from campus. Booking records, confirmed by the university, identified him as Ciro Stephen Tomlian, a 19-year-old from Jacksonville, Texas. He faces serious charges, including two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault causing bodily injury, and was still in custody as of Wednesday morning.
In response to the incident, UT Tyler President Dr. Julie V. Philley released a statement underscoring that “Everyone has the right to free speech, and violence will not be tolerated at this university.”
