Sacramento woman charged in UC Davis protest tied to Turning Point USA event
A Sacramento woman is scheduled to be arraigned on suspicion of felony conspiracy to commit a riot and battery in connection with an April protest at UC Davis, Yolo County prosecutors announced Wednesday, months after the incident drew national attention amid growing tensions over campus visits by conservative speakers.
Joanna Clara Sodke, 22, is accused of taking part in a disruption at an April 3 Turning Point USA event featuring commentator Brandon Tatum. The confrontation unfolded before the event began and was widely circulated online within hours, drawing attention from high-profile conservatives including Elon Musk and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September while speaking at a Turning Point event at Utah Valley University.
Sodke is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Yolo Superior Court in Woodland, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig’s office said in a brief statement. Sodke was not in custody as of midday Thursday, according to jail officials in Yolo and Sacramento counties.
According to previous Sacramento Bee reporting, Sodke graduated from UC Davis in June 2024 with a degree in history. In a video captured by a Bee journalist, Sodke is seen boisterously entering the stage at Golden 1 Center to receiver her diploma from Chancellor Gary May while cheering on her fellow undergraduates that day.
Videos from the April incident at the UC Davis quad showed a group of masked protesters pulling down a TPUSA tent and shoving event organizers. UC Davis officials later said one demonstrator struck a bystander who was filming with a cellphone. It was not immediately clear whether Sodke appeared in the videos, which quickly went viral on social media.
No arrests were made at the time, and campus police said the investigation remained ongoing. In a statement released after the incident, the university affirmed the right to protest but condemned any acts of violence, noting it would review safety protocols.
Tatum’s talk continued after the scuffle and ended without further incident.
The charges come just days after another high-profile TPUSA event — this time at UC Berkeley — reignited debates over free speech and campus safety. Monday’s event marked the final stop in TPUSA’s “This is the Turning Point” tour, revived after Kirk’s assassination.
Protests again flared outside the Berkeley venue. Four students were arrested earlier that day for vandalism, and a 45-year-old attendee was hospitalized after being struck in the head with a glass object. While most scuffles were quickly contained, the event prompted scrutiny from the Trump administration.
The day after the event, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Department of Justice would investigate security practices at both UC Berkeley and within the city, citing “Antifa’s ability to operate with impunity in CA.”
The UC Davis incident in April gained traction online when Musk posted on X, the social media platform he owns: “The left is the party of violence & hate,” in response to footage of the scuffle. His post amassed over 10 million views within hours.
Sodke’s case is the first to result in criminal charges related to that April confrontation.
Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization with chapters on college campuses nationwide, has faced protests at events in California and beyond. Critics say the group promotes extremist views; supporters argue they are exercising free speech rights increasingly under threat on liberal campuses.
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 12:12 PM.
