Los Angeles, November 23 (RHC)-- In the United States, a University of California student could face jail time after she was seen in a now-viral video appearing to swipe a "Make America Great Again" hat from a fellow student.  Edith Macias allegedly snatched Matthew Vitale’s MAGA hat before going on a tirade in the video, shot by Vitale. 

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office told reporters that, if convicted, Macias faced a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail.  According to the criminal complaint, Macias is being charged with a misdemeanor offense of petty theft in the September 27th incident.  A spokesman for the DA’s office said the next court date is set for March. 

Vitale, a member of the UC Riverside Republicans, pressed charges after the incident, in which he said Macias stole his pro-Trump hat off his head during a campus meeting and refused to give it back -- before two police officers responded to the scene and intervened.  The arrest warrant said that Macias told one of the officers she wanted to burn the MAGA hat because she believed the words “Make America Great Again” represented the “genocide of a bunch of people.” 

The police officers were able to review video from both Macias’ and Vitale’s Facebook pages, which appeared to showed Macias physically removing the hat from Vitale’s head and running away with it, then repeatedly refusing to return in.  Vitale eventually got his hat back -- after Macias is seen in the video giving it to university staff who then turn the hat over to its owner. 

Inspired by the incident, Vitale and other College Republicans in Southern California started instituting "MAGA Mondays," in which they proudly display their Trump gear on campus -- including the same hat Macias allegedly stole.