Man Who Hit Sen. Glenn Is Found Innocent by Reason of Insanity

The man who slugged Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) during a television interview last October was found innocent by reason of insanity Thursday and ordered to undergo treatment for mental illness.

U.S. Magistrate Deborah Robinson ordered Michael Breen, 31, of Washington, to remain at an in-patient psychiatric hospital until he can prove in court that he does not pose a risk to others.

Breen encountered the senator on Oct. 25 at an outdoor television interview, lunged at him from the side and landed a solid right to the jaw. Aside from redness and a few days of soreness, Glenn, a 68-year-old ex-Marine, was unharmed.

Defense attorney Philip Inglima acknowledged that Breen hit Glenn. The altercation was taped by a television camera and broadcast nationwide.

According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Breen told police that he was trying to get the attention of Pope John Paul II and prevent a nuclear war.

A day earlier, Breen had been detained by U.S. Capitol Police and the Secret Service after breaking through a police line and trying to reach out to Vice President Dan Quayle’s motorcade, officials said.