Turning Point Students Stand Up for Free Speech After Former Student Is Charged in UT Tyler Attack

Turning Point USA students in Texas are answering an attack on their campus event at the University of Texas at Tyler with a call for prayer and a defense of free speech. Preston Parsons, who leads the Turning Point chapter at Texas Tech, posted a video asking people to pray for the man accused in the Tuesday, Nov. 10, confrontation, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported ^[2]. "A difference in opinion is not a justification for violence!" Parsons said, according to NTD ^[4]. Davis Thrower, a Turning Point campus coordinator, wrote on social media that political violence of any kind is unacceptable, NTD reported ^[4].

The group's Frontlines account, which posted video of the incident, said "Campus police swiftly arrested the student" and took him to the county jail for processing, The College Fix reported ^[5]. The same post said no injuries were reported ^[5].

UT Tyler police identified the man as Ciro Stephen Tomlian and charged him with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault causing bodily injury, KLTV reported ^[1]. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on Tuesday night, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph ^[2], and Fox News reported he remained in the jail on Wednesday ^[3]. The charges are accusations that have not been proven in court, and it was unclear whether he had an attorney, NTD reported ^[4].

What the Video Shows

NTD and The College Fix described the gathering as a Turning Point event called Pick Up the Mic, held at the group's tent ^[4][5], while the Tyler Morning Telegraph described it as part of the group's Prove Me Wrong format ^[2].

Fox News reported that the video shows a man in a cape and round-brimmed hat throwing an American flag to the ground and swinging a cane at a group of people ^[3]. Just the News reported he was wearing what was described as a wizard outfit and was using a prop cane ^[6]. In the footage, he curses at the Turning Point members and calls them fascists before striking at least one person's legs with the cane, The College Fix reported ^[5]. Someone at the scene could be heard calling it assault as a UT Tyler officer handcuffed him, according to KLTV ^[1].

Accounts differ on how many people were hit. UT Tyler Associate Vice President Beverley Golden told KLTV that three people were assaulted, while Turning Point's Frontlines account said two students were struck ^[1]. The College Fix reported that the group's post described those hit as a Turning Point field representative and two students ^[5].

After his arrest, the man appeared to describe the clash as self-defense, Fox News reported, saying as he was led away, "I was backed into a corner" ^[3].

The University and Lawmakers Respond

Golden said the man is a former UT Tyler student who is not currently enrolled and that he has been issued a criminal trespass warning for the university, KLTV reported ^[1]. UT Tyler President Julie Philley said campus police responded immediately and stressed that everyone has the right to free speech, according to Fox News ^[3]. The university added that "violence will not be tolerated at this university," the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported, and officials said police made the arrest on the scene before the situation could escalate further ^[2].

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U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran, a Republican who represents the area, thanked UT Tyler police for acting quickly. "Violence has no place on any campus, and it doesn't represent East Texas," Moran wrote, KLTV reported ^[1]. He also noted that "The First Amendment protects your right to speak, even to protest," while drawing a clear line at assaulting people over a disagreement, according to Just the News ^[6].

Why It Matters

For parents sending their sons and daughters off to college, Tuesday's events raise a basic question: can students set up a table, fly the American flag and invite debate without being attacked for it? The answer from UT Tyler's police and administration was swift, and that matters. So does the response of the students themselves, who shared the video of what happened and then asked people to pray for the man accused of attacking them ^[2].

The incident comes a little more than a year after Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September 2025 while speaking at Utah Valley University, NTD noted ^[4]. Since then, the group has kept up its campus events, which have at times drawn protests and heated disagreement, NTD reported ^[4]. UT Tyler is not alone. The College Fix reported several similar incidents on other campuses this month, including a University of Utah student charged with misdemeanor assault and property damage after allegedly assaulting a member of the College Republicans, and a University of Michigan student facing assault and battery counts under a pending felony warrant after allegedly attacking a conservative activist ^[5].

The case against the former student now moves forward in Smith County, where he was booked, and no court date had been reported as of Wednesday ^[2]. In the meantime, the university has barred him from campus with a criminal trespass warning ^[1]. Rep. Moran's point is one every campus should take to heart: the First Amendment protects protest, but it never protects striking the people you disagree with ^[6].