Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was hit with a beer can during Monday’s World Series victory parade for the Houston Astros, and charges were filed against a suspect Tuesday, authorities said.
Cruz was on a float at the 2400 block of Smith Street in Houston when the can was thrown, Houston police tweeted.
“The beer can struck the Senator in the chest/neck area,” police said, adding that he was not injured.
Cruz said on Twitter that the projectile was a can of White Claw, which calls its beverages “hard cider,” a malt alcohol with a beer base that’s also known as alcopop or malternative drinks.
In video of the incident posted on social media, boos can be heard coming from the parade crowd as Cruz drives by, standing in the back of a military style vehicle. A can hurtles toward his head, and people on the vehicle try to shield him from the projectile.
Police identified the suspect as Joseph Halm Arcidiacono, who was charged with aggravated assault.
Harris County prosecutors alleged in court documents Tuesday that the defendant “threw two unopened twelve-ounce liquor cans at Senator Ted Cruz during the Astros championship parade, striking the senator and causing him pain; the defendant threw the two cans from approximately twenty feet away.”
