The man who threw a beer can at U.S. Senator Ted Cruz during the Houston Astros World Series victory parade has been arrested, the Houston Police Department announced Monday. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and released on $40,000 bond.
"The beer can struck the Senator in the chest/neck area," read a tweet from Houston police. "The Senator did not require medical attention."
The incident happened Monday as the Astros celebrated their 2022 championship after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in the series. The parade stretched out three miles through downtown Houston -- roughly twice the length of the parade route for their 2017 championship celebration.
Sen. Cruz, who lives in the Houston area, attended several of the World Series games and the celebration. He was in the back of a military vehicle waving at the crowd in the parade. A video on social media shows the crowd booing Cruz, and eventually a can is seen flying straight at him.
"As always I'm thankful for the Houston Police and Capitol Police for their quick action. I'm also thankful that the clown who threw his White Claw had a noodle for an arm," Cruz tweeted.
The man arrested was identified as 33-year-old Joseph Halm Arcidiacono. Court documents filed by prosecutors accuse Arcidiacono with having "used and exhibited a deadly weapon, namely an unopened metal beverage can," to intentionally hit the senator.
The NBC affiliated Houston station reported that a witness watched Arcidiacono run up towards a barrier wall at the parade. After the incident, the witness then grabbed Arcidiacono while he tried to run away. Per the report, a prosecutor said Arcidiacono told officers, "I know, I'm an idiot. I'm sorry," while he was being detained.
On Wednesday, Arcidiacono's legal team claimed that it was all a misunderstanding. Arcidiacono's attorney, Bill Stradley, released a statement saying that his client wasn't trying to be violent. Instead, according to Stradley, Arcidiacono was attempting a friendly gesture by tossing the senator a drink to celebrate.
"The night before the parade, Joey texted a friend, 'My dream would be to throw one of the players a beer. Doubt it would happen haha but that would be epic," the statement reads
Stradley pointed out that fans throw beverages to people in championship parades all the time "to get them to chug."
"This was stupid, good fun. This ended up as not fun," the statement reads. "Joey apologizes for how his actions alarmed Senator Cruz, his family, and his security detail and put a damper on an otherwise beautiful celebration for millions of Houstonians. With this fuller context, we ask for grace and hope Senator Cruz declines to maintain charges."
