“So I made a decision to throw a pie in his face”, Thompson said.
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Bjork, who works for a professional soccer team in Sacramento, said the mayor was standing near her when he was hit.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Sacramento Mayor, former National Basketball Association star, and UC Berkeley standout Kevin Johnson was hit in the face with a pie tonight at a farm-to-table dinner event – then he tackled and assaulted the protester in a “bloody” brawl.
Thompson was served with a protective order Friday barring contact with Johnson.
Johnson’s signature achievement in office is securing a $550 million arena for the Sacramento Kings, which Thompson says detracted from more important public issues. The protester then reportedly had some words for Johnson, prompting the mayor to punch the protester in the face at least “half a dozen” times.
Thompson said he’s fed up with Johnson’s lack of help for the homeless with all his attention on his “golden” project, an arena named the Golden 1 Center.
She said she was disappointed that Thompson’s bail amount was not reviewed Friday.
Pictures show the mayor fighting back.
Asked if he could say anything to Johnson, Thompson was pretty succinct in his evaluation of the mayor.
If McGraw’s report can be proven, White says, prosecutors could have a tough time going forward with the case, given Thompson’s contention that the beating started when he spoke to the mayor, not when he tossed his dessert. He said he felt pressured to do something to send a message and embarrass Johnson.
Sources in attendance have told the Express that, during the meal, a protester ran at the mayor and threw a store-bought pie in his face.
Vellucci wrote in an email that he met Thompson five years ago and described him as a nonviolent person who participated in some of the first Black Lives Matter protests in Sacramento in 2014 and in Occupy Sacramento rallies before that.
Speaking to CBS News following the incident, the mayor’s chief of staff, Crystal Strait, said: “The mayor was assaulted”.
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For now, Johnson’s not looking to seek a third term with just two months left in his post.
