Rand Paul's assault on Friday, allegedly by his neighbor, reportedly broke five of the U.S. senator's ribs and caused a lung contusion.
The Bowling Green Daily News reported that Rene Boucher, who also lived in the gated community just east of Bowling Green, Kentucky was charged with fourth-degree assault and released after posting $7,500 bond.
"Senator Paul has five rib fractures including three displaced fractures," Paul's senior advisor Doug Stafford told the Daily News. "This type of injury is caused by high velocity severe force. It is not clear exactly how soon he will return to work, as the pain is considerable as is the difficulty in getting around, including flying."
According to an arrest warrant, per the Daily News, Paul, 54, told authorities Boucher, 59, came on his property and tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground. The warrant said Paul also had injuries to his face and had trouble breathing, per the newspaper.
Paul is a practicing ophthalmologist. Boucher is an anesthesiologist and the inventor of the Therm-a-Vest, a cloth vest partly filled with rice and secured with Velcro straps that is designed to help with back pain, The Washington Post reported.
A motive for the incident remains unknown, the Post said.
"The rest of Bowling Green would like to know that, too," David Ciochetty, a doctor with Interventional Pain Specialists there, told the Post. "I was quite surprised to see this in the news."
Jeff Jones, a registered nurse who worked with Boucher at the Bowling Green Medical Center, told the Post that Boucher's political view was "liberal."
Paul, who ran for Republican presidential nomination in 2016, is a libertarian.
"(Boucher) was active on social media and said some negative things about the Republican agenda," Jones told the Post. "I think it was unfortunate that they lived so close together."
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