Former NBA star and current Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson had a pie thrown in his face at a dinner on Wednesday night and responded by tackling the protester, getting on top of him, and beating his face bloody.

East Bay Express:

Multiple sources have confirmed that Sacramento Mayor, former NBA 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.

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.

A different witness said that the pie had whipped cream as a topping.

After this, the protester reportedly said something to Johnson. This prompted the mayor to allegedly tackle the protester and punch him in the face "repeatedly," more than half a dozen times, landing "five to 10" blows.

One witness described it as a "bloody pulp." Other witnesses say that the pie-thrower was hit multiple times in the face and will definitely need stitches, and that there was visible blood.

Ambulances and fire department arrived at the scene.

Sacramento Police released a statement that 32-year-old Sean Thompson was arrested for felony assault of a public official.

A spokesman with the Sacramento Police Department confirmed that there was “some sort of physical altercation” between the suspect and the mayor, which occurred after Johnson was “assaulted” with the pie at around 6:45 p.m. He did not know whether the pie hit the the mayor’s face or head.

“The mayor did strike the suspect after he was assaulted,” spokesman Sgt. Bryce Heinlein told the Express. He could not confirm whether Johnson tackled Thompson.

Police said that the there was a cut above the suspect’s eye, but that he did not know the size. However, Thompson was transported to a local hospital after the incident, police confirmed.

The spokesperson did not know whether the mayor was injured or not.

Over the years, several conservatives speaking on campus have been the target of "pieing."  Most famously, Anita Bryant was pied by a gay rights activist in 1977.  Ann Coulter was able to deflect the pie thrown at her at the University of Arizona.  Several lesser known conservatives have been the victim of the pie in the face as well.

The fact that Johnson, a former professional athlete, held the protester down and pummeled his face with his fists is dismissed as "self defense."  Here's how the mayor's chief of staff described the incident:

The mayor had given a speech at the Seeds of HOPE dinner at Sacramento Charter High School before the man came up, pulled the pie from a bag and shoved it into Johnson's face, according to the mayor's chief of staff, Crystal Strait.

She said the mayor defended himself against the man, but she would not give details.

Strait emphasized that it was a genuinely serious and scary situation, and there was nothing funny about it.

"The mayor was assaulted. I was standing right there, and I'm still pretty shaken up," Strait said, speaking some three hours after the incident occurred.

Police agreed. They arrested 32-year-old Sean Thompson on suspicion of assaulting a public official, which is a felony, the Sacramento Police Department said in a statement.

What the Daily Beast describes as a "prank" when it happens to conservatives, the Sacramento police say is an "assault."

But who assaulted whom?  Does mashing a pie in someone's face mean that the victim can beat someone bloody? 

Let's all agree that it's always wrong to throw a pie in someone's face.  But can we also agree that the perpetrator of the assault deserves arrest, regardless of whether it's a conservative commentator or public official?