Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was attacked Saturday by his neighbor, who allegedly entered his property and tackled him from behind, throwing him to the ground.
The senator and his attacker live in the same gated community in Bowling Green.
Paul, a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, suffered minor injuries and is “fine,’’ said Kelsey Cooper, his communications director.
It was not known if Rene Boucher’s beef with Paul was personal or political.
“Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault,’’ Cooper said. “The assailant was arrested.’’
The arrest warrant says Paul told police that the attack happened at around 3:21 p.m., when the 59-year-old anesthesiologist snuck up on the senator and jumped him.
Paul told the responding officers he suffered facial injuries and had trouble breathing due to a rib injury, the Bowling Green Daily News reported.
Boucher was busted on a charge of fourth-degree assault, with bail set at $5,000.
Boucher, a pain specialist, developed and applied for a patent on a product called Therm-a-Vest, designed to relieve back pain, the newspaper said.
Paul is also a doctor, an ophthalmologist.