Student arrested for throwing classmate's 'Make America Great Again' hat, slapping teacher

Ryan W. Miller | USA TODAY

A California high school student was arrested Monday after allegedly throwing another student's "Make America Great Again" hat to the ground and slapping a teacher's arm, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's office did not release the student's name "due to the age of all involved," but local CBS affiliate KOVR reported senior Jo-Ann Butler, 17, was suspended from school for a week over the incident.

Butler told the station she saw the hat as a "a racist and hateful symbol."

According to the sheriff's office, the arrested student "began verbally berating another student, because they were wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat."

A teacher told the student to leave the classroom after they threw their classmate's hat to the ground, but the student returned and grabbed the hat a second time, the sheriff's office said.

That's when the teacher held out his arm to separate the students but was slapped in the arm, according to the sheriff's office statement.

The student was arrested and taken to the El Dorado County Juvenile Hall.

In a statement, the school district said it would cooperate with the sheriff's office investigation and added, "student and staff safety is our highest priority," KOVR reported.

The incident marks another case of a heated encounter over the cap made popular during President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and often worn by his supporters.

In July, a man was arrested in Texas after a video went viral of him allegedly throwing a drink in the face of a teen who had on the hat.

Contributing: KXTV in Sacramento, California. Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller