Walter Oliver Baker, a 36-year-old assistant professor of English and African American studies, is charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment, the Centre Daily Times newspaper reported.

Lisa M. Powers, a spokesperson for Penn State University, said in a statement to Newsweek on Monday that the “University Police and Public Safety has investigated the incident and charges have been filed.

“The employee who is alleged to have assaulted another person has been placed on administrative leave while investigation continues.”

During a rally on August 27 in support of a campus-wide vaccine mandate, Baker allegedly approached a counter-protester and tried to forcibly take his sign—allegedly pulling him to the ground and injuring him, according to the Daily Times.

The counter-protester allegedly had a visibly bloody nose and blood on his shirt following the incident, and he told police be believed Baker’s shoulder made contact with his face, the Daily Times reported. He was assessed by the University Ambulance Service and taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center for further evaluation.

Baker’s attorney, Julian Allatt, said in a statement to Newsweek that the complaint is “one-sided” and that Baker did not pull the counter-protester to the ground.

“Unfortunately the criminal complaint filed in this matter by Penn State University Police contains a one-sided version of events that characterizes the alleged actions of Professor Baker without reference to the antagonistic, menacing, and aggressive behavior of an individual who attended a peaceful rally with the express purpose of causing disruption,” the statement reads.

Allatt said he has received several written statements from other attendees who said they witnessed the counter-protesters “aggressively bumping into people and causing a tremendous disturbance.”

“Many describe being fearful of this individual’s actions and intentions. Professor Baker repeatedly attempted to peacefully redirect this individual away from the crowd and to the area where other counter-protesters were located,” the statement reads.

He added that Baker’s “attempts to deescalate the situation and direct the counter-protester away from the rally to a safe location led to a momentary scuffle that began when this individual put his shoulder into Professor Baker’s chest and attempted to force his way through the crowd.”

Baker’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 13.

The counter-protester’s sign apparently included memes, tweets, and sayings, including “shut the f*** up liberal.” He told police he attended to peacefully protest the vaccine mandate.

The rally was hosted by a faculty-based group, Coalition for a Just University. About 150 people showed up to the rally, the Daily Times reported.