Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson punches man who hit him in face with pie
Sacramento Mayor and former NBA guard Kevin Johnson was assaulted at a charity dinner event on Wednesday when a man approached him and hit him in the face with a pie.
Johnson was speaking at the Seeds of HOPE dinner at Sacramento Charter High School when a man, identified as 32-year-old Sean Thompson, approached Johnson, pulled a pie from a bag and put it in Johnson's face.
Nick Miller of East Bay Express reported that Johnson “tackled” the protester and punched him in the face as many as 10 times. Miller quotes multiple witnesses as saying the protester was left bloodied.
Sacramento police released Thompson’s mugshot, which shows dried blood on his nose and ear, a black eye and stitches under one eye.
The mayor's chief of staff, Crystal Strait, confirmed that Johnson defended himself by striking and tackling Thompson. Thompson was booked on a felony charge of suspicion of assaulting a public official.
"He was defending himself," Strait said. "The man came up to him and grabbed his arm and basically punched him with a pie. The mayor was defending himself and his family. He felt threatened."
Johnson was elected mayor of Sacramento in 2008 and has served two terms. He announced he would not seek a third term after Deadspin’s Dave McKenna reported extensively on allegations of sexual abuse against Johnson. One alleged victim was 15 years old.
Johnson continued to speak after he cleaned himself up.
Johnson spent 13 seasons in the NBA, spending a majority of his career with the Phoenix Suns. He was named a three-time All-Star and averaged 17.9 points and 9.1 assists during his career.
Johnson is only one of four players in NBA history to have averaged at 20 points and 10 assists per game in three different seasons.
- Scooby Axson
