Ryan Fournier, the co-founder of Students for Trump and a rising conservative activist once celebrated by right-wing media, is facing criminal charges after police say he punched a woman in the face and screamed violent threats during a disturbing alleged domestic violence incident in Washington, D.C.
Fournier, 30, was arrested on Tuesday, May 26, on suspicion of misdemeanor simple assault and attempted threats to do bodily harm after Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to what was described as a “domestic violence situation” at the Apartments at CityCenter shortly after midnight, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
The allegations are explosive.
According to the affidavit, the woman told police she had been dating Fournier for about two months and was visiting him in Washington when she found him lying on the floor, apparently intoxicated. She said she tried to wake him up.
That is when the situation allegedly spiraled.
The woman claimed Fournier woke up and “started swinging his fists at her,” striking her in the face with a closed fist two or three times. She also alleged that Fournier got on top of her while punching her.
The alleged victim told police Fournier had a switchblade at his side during the incident, though she said he did not swing it at her or point it at her.
Still, the alleged threats described in the affidavit were chilling.
When police asked whether Fournier made any threats, the woman said he allegedly declared, “I’ll kill everyone here.” She also claimed Fournier regularly makes similar statements.
A witness, described in the affidavit as Fournier’s roommate and friend, allegedly heard the woman trying to wake Fournier before hearing Fournier scream, “Don’t touch me, woman!” and “Do you want me to crush your head in with this lamp?”
The witness said he later returned to the office area and saw Fournier swinging a handheld vacuum around while screaming at the woman. The roommate said he tried to get between them and separate the two.
But the alleged chaos did not stop there.
According to the affidavit, the witness went to the bathroom and then heard Fournier allegedly yelling, “Do you want to die today?”
The woman then ran into the bathroom, and the witness said she “looked like she had been punched in the face.” The witness called 911. During the chaos, the woman allegedly told him, “Don’t let him stab me.”
Fournier left the apartment before being arrested, according to the report.
The case has drawn attention not only because of the disturbing allegations, but also because of Fournier’s role in conservative youth politics. He helped co-found Students for Trump, a national pro-Trump group that became part of the former president’s political ecosystem during his rise inside the Republican Party.
According to his website, Fournier was previously named to Newsmax’s “30 Most Influential Republicans Under 30” list two years in a row. He is also listed as the executive director of Radical Alert, a conservative activist group that says it tracks left-wing extremism and political violence.
The accusations now place Fournier, a figure who built part of his public brand around warning about political violence, at the center of a criminal case involving alleged violence and threats inside his own apartment.
Fournier pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing on May 26. His next hearing is scheduled for July 7.
His attorney declined to comment.
For now, the allegations remain unproven in court. But the affidavit paints a disturbing picture of a late-night encounter that allegedly turned violent after a woman tried to wake up a man who had helped build one of the most recognizable youth movements in Trump-era politics.
Anyone experiencing domestic violence can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. The hotline is free, confidential, available 24/7, and offers support in more than 170 languages.
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