A solemn tribute to Charlie Kirk, the assassinated founder of Turning Point USA, was reportedly disrupted Sunday when a man was seen trampling a memorial erected in his honor outside the organization’s Phoenix headquarters.
Witnesses quickly intervened, tackling the man before police arrived and arrested him.
The Phoenix Police Department confirmed the incident, describing the suspect as 19-year-old Ryder Corral. “Officers were directed to a man who was seen damaging a community memorial in front of a business near 48th Street and Beverly Road,” the department said in a statement. “Officers were in the area to assist with traffic control due to a large community presence in the area following recent events.”
“The man, later identified as 19-year-old Ryder Corral, was detained by witnesses until he was taken into custody by responding officers,” the statement added. Police said Corral now faces multiple charges, including destruction of property and disorderly conduct.
The incident comes just days after the assassination of Kirk, who was gunned down Wednesday at a Turning Point USA event held at Utah Valley University.
Authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson early Friday morning in connection with the killing, accusing him of carrying out the targeted attack.
Deranged leftist Ryder Corral, 19, desecrated a Charlie Kirk memorial at TPUSA headquarters in Arizona, kicking over flowers, vases, flags, and balloons while wearing the same clothing as 22-year-old assassin Tyler Robinson.
He was stopped and thrown to the ground by bystanders… pic.twitter.com/a7jaGzrCsA
— J Stewart (@triffic_stuff_) September 14, 2025
In the wake of Kirk’s death, grief-stricken supporters have erected memorials across the country, holding vigils for the Salem Radio Network host whose voice had become a rallying point for young conservatives. The Phoenix site, located outside TPUSA’s national headquarters, has become a focal point for mourners.
Fox News correspondent Matt Finn posted video of Sunday’s confrontation on X, showing a man in a black T-shirt and jeans stomping on flowers and tributes laid in Kirk’s memory.
Seconds later, onlookers can be seen tackling him to the ground before two police officers arrive to make the arrest.
Some online accounts noted that the T-shirt Corral was wearing bore similarities to clothing believed to have been worn by Robinson, the accused assassin, according to alleged footage of the shooting.
The connection has fueled speculation, though police have not confirmed any relationship between the two men.
Kirk’s death has reverberated deeply in conservative circles. At just 18 years old, he founded Turning Point USA in 2012, building it into one of the nation’s most influential youth organizations dedicated to advancing conservative principles on college and high school campuses.
Beyond TPUSA, Kirk hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, which grew into a nationally syndicated radio program on the Salem Radio Network.
Kirk, who lived in the Phoenix area at the time of his death, was remembered by supporters as a tireless advocate for free speech and an unapologetic defender of American values.
His assassination — and now the desecration of a memorial in his honor — has underscored the heightened climate of political hostility conservatives argue they have long faced.
For many, Sunday’s incident was yet another reminder of the contempt directed at Kirk and the movement he helped build. Even as thousands gather to pay tribute, his supporters say, hostility toward their cause remains as visible as the flowers trampled outside Turning Point USA’s headquarters.
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