Photo: Eric Thayer / Getty Images News / Getty Images
A nineteen-year-old man named Ryder Corral was arrested on Sunday (September 14) for allegedly vandalizing a memorial for Charlie Kirk outside the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Corral was taken into custody by Phoenix police at 9:50 a.m. after witnesses reported seeing him damage the memorial, which included flowers, vases, and flags.
The incident was captured on video, showing Corral walking through the memorial and kicking over items. A mourner intervened, pulling Corral out of the memorial and throwing him to the ground before police officers arrested him. Corral now faces charges of criminal damage and disorderly conduct.
Charlie Kirk, the executive director of Turning Point USA, was killed four days earlier during an event at Utah Valley University. The suspect in Kirk's death, Tyler Robinson, was arrested after a two-day manhunt but has not cooperated with authorities. The motive for the killing remains unclear, though Utah Governor Spencer Cox mentioned that Robinson held views opposing Kirk's.
Corral's arrest comes just a week before Kirk's funeral, scheduled for September 21 at the Arizona Cardinals' stadium in Phoenix. The incident has drawn significant attention, with officers present in the area for traffic control due to the large community turnout following Kirk's death.