Columbus — A respected Ohio State University assistant professor is now on paid leave after a hallway confrontation with a journalist turned physical and was captured on video that quickly spread online. The clip shows a tense moment outside the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society that left many on campus talking.
The encounter happened on February 9 in a corridor near Smith Laboratory. Documentarian Michael Neuman had just finished talking with former Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee about controversial comments Gee made. Neuman was attempting to ask a follow-up question when Professor Luke M. Perez stepped into the frame.
In the video, Perez is seen engaged in conversation with two other freelance reporters when Neuman approaches holding a phone or camera. Things escalate fast — Perez appears to swipe the device out of Neuman’s hand, grab him by the head, and force him to the ground in a moment witnesses describe as sudden and shocking.
“I told you not to put that in my face. Now, I’m not gonna ask you again don’t touch me,” Perez can be heard saying in the footage. The physical nature of the interaction startled onlookers and raised immediate questions about what led to the professor’s response.
Neuman, who identifies himself as a filmmaker, said he was simply trying to get more comments from Gee when Perez intervened. Fellow freelancer D.J. Byrnes posted the video online, where it quickly went viral, drawing attention from students, faculty, and the wider public.
Ohio State University responded swiftly. On February 11, administrators placed Perez on paid administrative leave pending a campus police investigation into the alleged assault. University spokespeople have not offered specific details about disciplinary outcomes, citing privacy and personnel policies.
Neuman and Byrnes have both said they plan to cooperate fully with authorities and want disciplinary action taken against Perez. The incident has sparked a broader conversation about press access, academic authority, and how disputes between journalists and university personnel should be handled on campus.
