Violent incident sees staffer slammed ‘against the wall’ at N.S. politician’s office

Two staff members of a Nova Scotia MLA were assaulted by a man in a constituency office on Thursday, according to a Facebook post and police report.

Brendan Maguire, who represents the Halifax-Atlantic riding, said an individual walked into his office and grabbed his assistant by the throat, “slamming her against the wall.”

“This is a tipping point for me,” Maguire said in a Facebook post on Thursday afternoon.

He said a student, who was the only other person present at the time, intervened and the man then went to attack her.

“Kelly (Maguire’s assistant) got in between to protect her, then got free, and the two of them locked themselves in my office while he destroyed the rest of the office,” he said.

As the Facebook post appeared to show, the perpetrator proceeded to damage various items throughout the office, including knocking over framed photos and a Christmas tree.

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Maguire, who’s spent a decade as an elected official, summed up the incident as going “too far.”

“Over the years a lot has been said to me, I have been threatened and political opponents have started lies and rumors about me,” said the Liberal MLA, who’s been an elected official for more than a decade.

Global News has reached out to Maguire for further comment, and to confirm where he was when the alleged incident took place.

In a release on Friday, Halifax Regional Police said they responded at about 12:10 p.m. on Thursday to a report of an assault at a government constituency office in the 300 block of Herring Cove Road.

“A man came into the office and assaulted two people, who were known to him, caused damage to the office then left the area on foot,” police confirmed in a statement.

“While on scene police received a second report where the man had damaged property at the Captain William Spry Community Centre at 16 Sussex Street and again left the area on foot.”

Police said they have since identified the suspect and are actively working to locate and arrest the man.

Maguire said his assistant is now taking time off as he re-evaluates how “we interact with the community.”

“No one deserves this,” he said.