But Johnson, a former National Basketball Association star and University of California at Berkeley alum, started swinging after he was struck with the pie, and tackled Thompson, who suffered some bruises and cuts and needed nine stitches, according to witness accounts. The mayor struck back and tackled Thompson.
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In the booking photo provided by the Sacramento Police Department there are visible cuts and bruising around Thompson’s left eye.
Sean Thompson, a member of the Occupy movement, is being held at the Sacramento County jail on charges of felony assault on a public official, and misdemeanor battery on school property.
Following the incident, the mayor took to Twitter to tweet that he was doing “fine” and thanked the police who came to his rescue.
In a jailhouse interview with NBC afficliate KCRA on Thursday, Sean Johnson, 32, said he lobbed the fluffy dessert at Mayor Kevin Johnson at a charity event Wednesday night because he feels like the mayor only pays lip service to helping the city’s homeless population. The mayor’s Chief of Staff Crystal Strait called the Wednesday night, September 21, 2016, incident at the Sacramento Charter High School a shocking assault, but said the mayor wasn’t hurt. He told the paper that he walked up to Johnson, tapped him on the shoulder and, when the mayor turned around, put the pie in his face.
Thompson, who is being held on $100,000 bail, is scheduled to be formally charged in court Friday afternoon.
Instead, Thompson decried the mayor’s support for the downtown arena.
Johnson’s signature achievement in office was getting a $550 million arena built for the Sacramento Kings, which Thompson said took attention away from other issues.
A few of Thompson’s supporters came to see the activist in court.
The final photo shows Johnson with coconut cream pie on his face.
In another report by Yahoo News, Johnson’s Chief of Staff Crystal Strait was shocked and still shaken by what had happened. Witnesses say that Thompson also punched the mayor and the mayor punched back. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
Claire White, a Bay Area attorney who works with military veterans, says she will defend Thompson, who she described as a fellow Air Force veteran and friend, and is taking the case pro bono.
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