Trump supporter charged with pulling knife on family with children outside Manhattan courthouse

NEW YORK — A Donald Trump supporter protesting the Manhattan district attorney’s probe of the former president pulled a knife on a family with two small children Tuesday outside Manhattan Criminal Court, according to a court official.

The man and woman with two children in strollers accidentally bumped into the Trump supporter while crossing the intersection of Hogan Place and Centre Street just after 4:00 p.m., three bystanders told POLITICO. The female protester, who held a sign that read “I support Trump, do you?” began arguing with the couple before she pulled out a blade approximately 6 inches long and waved it at the family, according to the eye-witnesses.

"Angelica Rucker pulled a knife from her right side belt hip area and began menacing one of the complainants with the knife as the verbal confrontation pursued," a court spokesperson said.

Court officers, who were standing outside the building, rushed over, pulled out their guns and ordered the woman to drop the knife, the bystanders said. She was arrested without incident.

No one was injured. Rucker, who could not immediately be reached for comment, was placed in custody and charges are pending, according to a court spokesperson.

“The court officers were standing on the corner and within 20 seconds they were here and she had dropped the knife,” said one bystander who could not be named because of his job. “The woman yelled, ‘Knife, knife’ and the court officers were on the Trump-supporter like Voltron,” the bystander said.

The altercation came after Trump called on supporters to protest the probe and predicted “potential death & destruction” if he is charged for his alleged role in a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

So far, significant support for Trump has failed to materialize.

The Trump-supporter was the only protester present outside the courthouse Tuesday. The grand jury usually only hears evidence on the case on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Last week, activists clamoring for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to indict Trump far outnumbered the president’s supporters outside the courthouse.

Police and court officials did not immediately release the protester’s name, age or other personal information.

Julia Marsh contributed to this report.