Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had a cup of water thrown in her face while attending the city's Mondawmin Festival and Resource Fair Saturday, but she was not hurt in the incident.
Authorities arrested Lacheisa Pailin-Sheffer at the scene and charged her with
second-degree assault, reported WBAL-TV. Howard Libit, Rawlings-Blake's press adviser, told reporters that the mayor was unharmed in the incident.
"Fortunately, the mayor is fine. She went on and had a great time at the festival,"
Libit told reporters, according to the Baltimore Sun, adding that the water toss did not discourage her from attending other public events.
"She enjoys opportunities like this to engage with the people of Baltimore. This was an odd, random incident. Things like this happen," Libit continued.
Rawlings-Blake told the Baltimore Sun that the incident caught her off guard.
"I didn't know what it was that she threw at me," the mayor said. "I hope it was water. It was more shocking than anything else."
Authorities took Pailin-Sheffer, 37, away in handcuffs after the alleged attack while Rawlings-Blake was
talking with festival attendees, wrote WJZ-TV.
The mayor's administration has come under heavy criticism for its handling of civil unrest in the city in April and a sharp spike in the city's murder rate, reported the Baltimore Sun. Part of that criticism has come from former mayor Sheila Dixon, Rawlings-Blake's opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary election, the newspaper noted.
"I believe I have the leadership skills and experience to bring citizens across the city together to create a safer city that is also cleaner, greener and healthier than we are today," Dixon wrote earlier this month about returning to politics, according to the Baltimore Sun. "Together we can reclaim, revive, and rebuild Baltimore."
The incident also comes at a time of major upheaval in the city's embattled police department, in which Rawlings-Blake fired police commissioner Anthony Batts last Wednesday, reported WJZ-TV.
The mayor told the television station Saturday that she did not want to address Dixon.
"I think it's very clear when someone is trying to exploit a situation to be an opportunist," Rawlings-Blake said. "I'm looking for opportunities for Baltimore and that's what I'm going to continue to focus on."
WBAL-TV reported that the festival and fair provided attendees with information on job training and placement services, youth programs, and housing resources.