In a dramatic and unexpected turn of events during a São Paulo mayoral debate, candidate Jose Luiz Datena violently attacked his rival, Pablo Marçal, with a metal chair. The attack resulted in Marçal sustaining a fractured rib and a dislocated finger. He was rushed to the hospital due to difficulty breathing.

The incident has caused significant upheaval in the race for São Paulo’s mayor. Marçal, who was polling in third place behind the incumbent Mayor Ricardo Nunes and leftist candidate Guilherme Boulos, had intended to provoke Datena, who was struggling with only 6% of the vote.

During the debate, Marçal repeatedly brought up past sexual harassment allegations against Datena, which had been retracted but still seemed to unsettle Datena. Datena accused Marçal of turning the debate into a spectacle and dismissed him as a mere internet stunt performer.

The situation escalated when Datena, clearly enraged, picked up a chair and slammed it into Marçal’s back. Marçal, who has a substantial following on social media, later likened the attack to assassination attempts on Donald Trump, expressing his frustration with the level of hatred directed at him.

With São Paulo’s mayoral election approaching in early October, this violent incident has thrown the race into disarray. For more details, watch the video of the altercation below.