On 19 January 2013, a man tried to assault Dogan with a gun during a political meeting. While Dogan was talking to a large group of people from a podium, a man ran onto the stage and pointed a pistol within a foot of Dogan's head. The man used a gas pistol filled with pepper spray, but the gun did not fire. According to Bulgaria's deputy chief prosecutor, even if the gun had fired, pepper spray is not deadly. The man was tackled and wrestled to the ground by security guards and delegates. He was severely beaten for several minutes before being arrested. The entire event was captured on video. The man was identified as Oktai Enimehmedov, a Bulgarian national of Turkish descent.