The Woman Who Threw a Shoe at Hilary Clinton-MSNBC

Democrats / Society

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 10, 2014.

Isaac Brekken/Getty

Meet the Clinton shoe-thrower

04/11/14 04:56 PM—Updated 04/11/14 06:50 PM

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By Emma Margolin

Who throws a shoe? Honestly!
That would be 36-year-old Alison Ernst of Phoenix, Arizona, who was charged Thursday night with disorderly conduct by the Las Vegas Police Department after allegedly throwing a shoe at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  

Alison Ernst poses for her mugshot after being arrested for disorderly conduct in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 10, 2014.

Photo by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

According to NBC News, who spoke with a Secret Service official, the U.S. Attorney’s office has declined federal prosecution. Ernst was wearing shoes on Thursday night when she attended a speech Clinton was giving in Las Vegas, but apparently brought an extra one specifically to throw at the former secretary of state. The official said the incident appeared to be “premeditated.”

Clinton ducked out of the shoe’s path and avoided being hit. She laughed it off with several clever quips, including “Is that somebody throwing something at me?” and “Is that part of Cirque de Soleil?” and “My goodness, I didn’t know that solid waste management was so controversial.”
The Daily News reported that Ernst was upset when police arrested her Thursday evening inside a Las Vegas casino, where Clinton was addressing representatives from Scrap Recycling Industries. 

Though in an apparent “agitated state,” according to a police report, Ernst seemed “aware of what she had just done.” Security quickly grabbed her after she pelted a black and orange sneaker from about 60 feet away from the stage.

It is not yet clear what Ernst’s motivation was.

Morning Joe, 4/11/14, 7:34 AM ET