A grand jury has officially chosen to decline to indict a man from Houston that stands accused of throwing alcoholic beverage cans at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) while the senator was taking part in a parade last fall for the Houston Astros.
33-year-old Joseph Halm Arcidiacono, who was slammed with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, ended up being no-billed, as explained in documents from the court. That means that the grand jury was not swayed by any of the evidence to officially sign off on an indictment.
“The grand jury now asks the Court to discharge and release this Defendant from custody,” explained a filing dated January 6th from the District Court of Harris County, Texas.
Update: The charges have been dropped against the man accused of throwing cans of White Claw at Sen. Ted Cruz during the Astros World Series parade.
A grand jury failed to find an indictment #HouNews https://t.co/m3ef6ri5U6 pic.twitter.com/gWNbEs77Qf
— John Wayne Ferguson (@JohnWFerguson) January 7, 2023
Video footage seen on social media highlighted a can flying directly at Cruz while he was riding in the back of the bed of a moving jeep as part of a World Series victory parade located in Houston for the Astros in early November. A man stationed next to the senator attempted to deflect the projectile, but it did wind up hitting the senator in the area of his neck and chest.
Beer flies at Ted Cruz during Astros World Series Parade pic.twitter.com/lRALgyXCe2
— Alien Truther Wildwest (@wcgroovy) November 7, 2022
Officials with Houston police claimed that Cruz “did not require medical attention,” and the senator himself spoke up about the incident after the fact via social media.
“As always I’m thankful for the Houston Police and Capitol Police for their quick action,” stated Cruz. “I’m also thankful that the clown who threw his White Claw had a noodle for an arm.”
Allegedly, Arcidiacono hurled a total of two cans at the senator from his spot in the crowd as he watched the parade. A member of the prosecution stated that one witness subdued Arcidiacono as he attempted to flee the scene in the wake of his assault before shuffling him over to the nearby police, as reported by the Houston local NBC affiliate KPRC-TV.
UPDATE: Booking photo of Joseph Halm Arcidiacono, 33, now charged with aggravated assault in this incident.#hounews https://t.co/njt9hruEIf pic.twitter.com/DzeAwtuzyB
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) November 8, 2022
Allegedly, Arcidiacono explained to the arresting officer, “I know, I’m an idiot, I’m sorry.” he was able to post bond, which was set at a fee of $40,000.
The attorney for Arcidiacono put forth his own statement in the wake of the arrest, making the argument that his client did not actually commit any act of political violence or any “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,” as reported by Fox 26 Houston.
The statement also claimed that Arcidiacono issued an apology “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.”
