Pie-throwing protester gets punched by mayor in U.S.

A protester who threw a pie in the face of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson was hit by the latter so hard that he had to be sent to the hospital before being jailed, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.

East Bay Express reported on Thursday that 32-year-old Sean Thompson attacked the mayor, former NBA All Star Kevin Johnson, at a local community party Wednesday night, with a coconut-cream pie.

A scuffle immediately broke out, with Johnson punching Thompson on the face multiple times.

One witness even described the scene as "bloody".

"He was defending himself," Crystal Strait, Johnson's press secretary told an NBC reporter. "The mayor was defending himself and his family. He felt threatened."

However, Thompson told The Sacramento Bee newspaper Thursday from Sacramento County Jail that Johnson's self-defense had gone too far, sending him to the hospital for nine stitches.

"Pie throwing was the least violent action I could take," Thompson explained, saying that it was his disappointment in the mayor that led to the pie-assault.

"He had a lot of opportunities to help people, and he hasn't taken any of them," Thompson said.

After being treated at the hospital, Thompson was then sent to jail. He was held on a 100,000-U.S. dollar bail, while facing a felony charge of assaulting a public official and a misdemeanor charge of battery on school property.

The pie throwing incident also stirred comments across social media Thursday. Some applauded Johnson for standing up against the man who attacked him, while others argued that the mayor's forceful response had gone too far.

Johnson tweeted that he was "doing fine" and said he appreciated everyone's support. There was no indication or report about whether Johnson had been questioned by the police.

Kevin Johnson announced last year that he would not run for a third term as mayor of the city, and he was due to leave office later this year. Endi