68-Year-Old Trump Supporter Faces Down 23-Year-Old Flag Burner. Watch What Happens Next.

On Saturday afternoon, a tense exchange outside a Hillary Clinton rally in Pittsburgh, PA erupted when a 23-year-old Hillary-backer attempted to burn an American flag in front of Trump supporters, including 68-year-old Richard Dillon, who were protesting Hillary’s appearance at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The would-be flag-burner, Joshua Strurman, was unsuccessful in his attempt to desecrate Old Glory and was taken away in handcuffs after assaulting Dillon.

“Symbolically, he was saying, ‘I will burn down everything you stand for’ — beginning with the flag, Old Glory,” said Dillon, who donned an iconic red Make America Great Again hat. “We cannot let the country be commandeered by people like that.”

Richard Dillon

Spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety Emily Schaffer confirmed that Sturman, a California man, pulled out an American flag and tried to light it on fire in front of the Trump supporters. Dillon apparently tried to grab the flag because he “feared for the group’s safety,” she added. That’s when Sturman tackled the older man to the ground.

​The video below captures the moment Sturman tackles the 68-year-old:

Schaffer told TribLive that the 23-year-old will “be charged with reckless endangerment, risking a catastrophe and disorderly conduct.”

Tricia Cunningham, 43, a Trump supporter on scene, captured the aftermath of the assault on video:

Cunningham said Sturman tried to light the flag on fire in front of her as she attempted to knock it down with her protest sign, fearing it was “laced with gas or soemthing.”

“You ain’t burning our flag. I’m the daughter of a Marine,” she stated. “There is no First Amendment when it comes to destroying the United States, as far as I am concerned.”

“It ain’t happenin’ no more, people. I’ve had it! We are not gonna put up with flag burners,” she added. “You messed with the wrong crew on that one.”

Anti-American flag-burners are commonly found within the left-wing protest groups. Last week, at the Democratic National Convention, Democrats burned both American and Israeli flags outside the Wells Fargo Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Inside the event, Palestinian flags were waved proudly.