Call it an attack or call it a juvenile prank: Either way, the actions of a middle-school student Friday evening made international headlines after the youth threw a block of wood at President Donald Trump's motorcade as it drove from Palm Beach International Airport to Mar-a-Lago.
Once the president was safely inside his Palm Beach estate, members of the motorcade returned to the scene on Southern Boulevard between Parker and Lake avenues, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Saturday. The student eventually confessed, and implicated four other kids in the act.
Neither the student nor the other kids have been identified. PBSO said the State Attorney's Office will decide whether any charges will be filed in the case.
It's not the first time someone has chucked something at a president, whether in a motorcade or otherwise. And the penalties that go along with such an act can be stiff: A man who rode a rented bicycle near President Barack Obama's motorcade last year in New York City was thrown to the ground by police officers, briefly detained at the scene and issued a notice to appear for disorderly conduct, the New York Daily News reported.
Here's a look at some of the most notorious close calls for presidents and presidential candidates.
President George W. Bush and the shoes
On a 2008 visit to Iraq, a local journalist heaved his shoes at President George W. Bush as the head of state spoke at a news conference with the Iraqi prime minister — who tried to intercept the journalist's second shoe.
Muntader al-Zaidi yelled, "This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!" before sending his shoes flying through the air one-by-one at the president. Al-Zaidi was arrested and sentenced to three years in jail, of which he served nine months.
The shoe-thrower became a bit of a folk hero in the Middle East, with one artist crafting a massive sculpture of one of al-Zaidi's shoes outside an Iraqi orphanage.
President Bill Clinton and the egg
While on a tour of Europe in 2001, former President Bill Clinton was hit in the arm by a raw egg thrown by a protester in Poland. A spokeswoman for Clinton told ABC News that he "laughed off the matter saying 'it was good for young people to be angry about something.'"
Sarah Palin and the tomatoes
The former vice presidential candidate was signing copies of her book, "Going Rogue," at the Mall of America in Minnesota in 2009 when a man threw a tomato at her — missing by a pretty wide margin. CBS News reports the tomato splatted onto the stage about 10 feet from Palin, with red, pulpy pieces splashing onto two nearby police officers.
The tomato tosser, Jeremy Paul Olson, was charged with assault and disorderly conduct. When police took him into custody, they found two more tomatoes, according to CBS News.
President Barack Obama and the book
A book thrown at President Barack Obama at a 2010 campaign rally seemed to barely draw the president's attention. Video from the event shows the book sailing through the air several feet from Obama — while he carries on waving to the crowd. No one was arrested in the incident.
Hillary Clinton and more tomatoes, and more shoes
While visiting Egypt in 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's motorcade was pelted with shoes and tomatoes. One tomato hit an Egyptian official in the face, as protesters chanted "Monica, Monica" and "leave, Clinton" at the passing vehicles, Reuters reports. The armored vehicle in which Clinton was riding was out of range by the time protesters began lobbing veggies at the motorcade, with a U.S. official telling Reuters she was around the corner from the incident.
About the Author