Man Rushes Reagan on Stage, Smashes Statue

An anti-nuclear activist rushed the stage while former President Ronald Reagan was giving a speech Monday and smashed a large crystal statue that Reagan had just been given. Pieces of the statue hit Reagan in the head, but he was not hurt.

The activist then tried to speak into the microphone as Reagan, appearing angry but unhurt, stood beside him. Secret Service agents quickly grabbed the protester and hustled him away.

The 81-year-old Reagan was jostled during the scuffle. He later returned to the podium, picked up a piece of the broken award statue, then finished his speech to the National Assn. of Broadcasters.

“I think I’m going to go out and see who that guy is,” Reagan said at the end of his speech.

Reagan later told reporters: “He hit me with a fist, but it just bounced off.”

The protester was identified as Richard Paul Springer, 41, of Arcata, a small college town in Humboldt County, north of San Francisco.

Secret Service spokesman Carl Meyer said Springer wore the badge required to attend the broadcasters’ convention, but he did not know whether Springer had a legitimate reason to attend the meeting.

After making his way to the stage, the assailant ran to the podium and picked up the two-foot-high, crystal eagle statue, raised it over his head and smashed it on a pedestal. Meyer said the statue weighed 30 pounds.

Flying glass hit Reagan in the face and upper body, but apparently did not cut him.

Springer is the founder of the 100th Monkey anti-nuclear group, said Lisa Law, a group organizer. She said Springer came up with the idea of staging a weeklong series of events protesting nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site. Hundreds of anti-nuclear protesters are in Las Vegas this week for the demonstrations.

Law said Springer participated in a morning demonstration at the Department of Energy building in Las Vegas, then left.

“He didn’t tell us he was going to do it,” she said. “We are as shocked as you are.”