David Jackson

USA TODAY

Florida police charged Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski with simple battery Tuesday in connection with an incident involving a reporter earlier this month.

Lewandowski, 42, grabbed the left arm of Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields and pulled her back as she tried to ask Trump a question, according to the report filed by the Jupiter Police Department, which also released a video of the confrontation.

The motion "cleared a path for Lewandowski to walk past Fields, allowing him to 'catch up' and get closer to Trump, who was walking during this entire incident," the police report said.

Trump defended Lewandowski on Twitter after the charges were announced, calling him "a very decent man." He also challenged the claims themselves, saying "Look at tapes — nothing there!"

Trump also attacked the reporter. In another Twitter post, he asked: "Why aren't people looking at this reporter's earliest statement as to what happened, that is before she found out the episode was on tape?"

Fields responded to that Trump claim, also on Twitter: "Because my story never changed. Seriously, just stop lying."

The New York billionaire continued taking shots at Fields on Twitter throughout the day, tweeting "Why is she allowed to grab me and shout questions? Can I press charges?" At another point he asked, "What is in her hand?"

Later, Trump told reporters in Wisconsin that he will stick with Lewandowski, and that he is being unfairly maligned.

"I don't discard with people," he said. "I stick with people."

The video released by Jupiter police showed an apparent confrontation between Lewandowski and Fields. The department also cited an interview with another reporter who saw what happened. The police report said "probable cause" existed to charge Lewandowski "in that he did intentionally touch" Fields against her will.

Earlier, the Trump campaign said in a statement that Lewandowski is "absolutely innocent of this charge," and is "completely confident that he will be exonerated."

Lewandowski previously denied the accusation by Fields, saying he did not touch her and described the reporter as "delusional."

He faces a May 4 court date in connection with the battery charge, according to the police report.

Fields filed a complaint with Jupiter police a few days after the incident at Trump National Golf Club on March 8, the night Trump scored primary victories in Michigan and other states.

Anti-Trump advisor dredges up stripper-biting controversy

Ted Cruz, who is battling Trump for delegates in the Republican presidential nomination battle, referenced the businessman's harsh attacks on women and incidents of violence at Trump rallies in issuing a statement on the charge against Lewandowski.

"When you have a campaign that is built on personal insults, on attacks, and now physical violence, that has no place in a political campaign," Cruz told reporters. "It has no place in our democracy and I think it is a really unfortunate development, but I do think it helps clarify for the voters what the Trump campaign is all about."

Cruz and other critics are making special appeals to women voters as part of their opposition to Trump.

The third Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said he would "take some sort of action" against an aide who behaved as Lewandowski did, either suspension or dismissal.

Fields showed officers bruises on her arm and gave police an audio tape in which she says, right after the confrontation, "I can't believe he just did that ... that was so hard," according to the police report. "Was that Corey? You should have felt how hard he just grabbed me."

The police report said the witness, Ben Terris of The Washington Post, told Fields, "He just like threw you out of the way. Like what threat are you?"

Lewandowski is an aggressive campaign manager. A recent video taken at a Trump rally in Arizona shows him confronting an anti-Trump protester, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him.

Florida law says battery occurs when a person "actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other, or intentionally causes bodily harm to another person."

Not long after the March 8 incident, Fields resigned from Breitbart News, saying in a statement: "I do not believe Breitbart News has adequately stood by me during the events of the past week and because of that I believe it is now best for us to part ways."

Breitbart reporter who says Trump aide assaulted her resigns