The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has authorized criminal charges against Temulun Togochog, a University of Michigan student who was apparently recorded attacking a Jewish woman during a campus free-speech event Sunday.
Alyssa Fountain, an administrative assistant with the prosecutor’s office, told JNS that officials received the case Monday and conducted a detailed review of the evidence submitted.
According to Fountain, Togochog faces one count of assaulting, resisting or obstructing an officer, along with two counts of assault or assault and battery. JNS requested a response from the University of Michigan.
Fountain said a court date has not yet been scheduled. A felony warrant is expected to be issued, with an arraignment date to follow once the warrant is processed.
The incident unfolded Sunday, when Liz Benichou, who is Jewish, joined conservative commentators Cam Higby and Joe Redden at a University of Michigan event in Ann Arbor.
The group engaged students in discussions about Iran and Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan whom the Republican Jewish Coalition has described as “the most antisemitic US Senate candidate in America.”
Video shared widely online appears to show a woman identified as Togochog walking toward a table where Redden and Higby were seated before arguing with Redden about Islam.
The woman is then seen using her phone to strike Redden in the face.
She immediately denies hitting him and accuses the commentators of being “anti-Muslim.”
The footage next appears to show the woman confronting Benichou, who asks what would happen to her if she “walked around like this in Iran.”
The woman then appears to shove Benichou onto the ground and jump on her. Another student intervenes and pulls her away.
When University of Michigan police arrived, the woman appeared to resist officers. After being handcuffed, she allegedly shouted, “I should have f***ing killed you when I f***ing had the chance,” and added, “I’ve already been to a mental hospital, and I’ll go again if it means killing her.”
University police told JNS Sunday that Togochog was processed and released. It remains unclear whether she is still on campus.
Higby said the university contacted Reawaken USA, the faith-based organization that hosted the event, and asked the group to remove the video from social media to shield Togochog from “negative blowback.”
“Our events are intended to create a space for peaceful conversations surrounding faith, ideas and differing belief systems,” Reawaken USA said.
The organization added that while disagreement is an essential part of free expression, it “never justifies violence.”
“Political violence has no place on our college campuses or anywhere in America,” Reawaken USA said.
The University of Michigan also issued a statement Monday declaring that “physical violence has no place on our campus.”
“The university is firmly committed to protecting freedom of speech and expression, and actions that threaten the safety of others or interfere with their right to express their views will not be tolerated,” the school said.
The university said federal privacy laws prevent it from discussing specific student conduct cases.