In what I believe was the first Santa-related attack of 2007, a college student in Missoula, Montana, was charged with misdemeanor assault last Friday after he hit a shopping-mall Santa in the face with a pie.

The assaulter, a 22-year-old drama student suspiciously named "Clint Westwood," said he "lightly smooshed" the pie into Santa's face and then shouted, "What do you think of that, Santa?"  Westwood claimed he was videotaping the assault so that he could include the footage in a film he is making.  Santa's response to the question was not noted in the report, but Westwood may not have stuck around to find out what it was.  "It's a good thing [Westwood] didn't wait around," said a Missoula police officer, "because I think Santa would have laid him out."  That I'd pay to see.

Westwood probably can't use his footage anyway.  He said he had planned to ask Santa for a signature on a release form after the smooshing, but the police got there first.  Seems unlikely that Santa would have been in any mood to sign a release at that point, so my guess is that Westwood was just too much of a coward to stick around and face Santa's rage.

Based on evidence from previous years, this is only the first of many ordeals Santa will have to endure between now and December 26th.

Link: CBS News