Is it possible to pass the HTMLElement to a ng-click configured on a controller?

Here's some sample code:

<div ng-controller=Controller>

   <ul ng-repeat=item in items>

      <li ng-click=handleThisElement($element) id={{item.id}} >{{item.name}}</li>

   </ul>

</div>

Controller:

function ($scope) {

  $scope.items = [

    {name: 'Bilbo', id='Bilbo'},

    {name, 'Frodo', id='Frodo'},

    {name: 'Pippin', id='Pippin'},

    {name: 'Merry', id='Merry'},

    {name: 'Sam', id='Sam'}

  ];



  $scope.handleThisElement = function (element) {

     alert(element.id); // should alert (Bilbo || Frodo || Pippin || Merry || Sam)

  }

UPDATE:

Don´t get confused, I said that I want get the whole element not only the id from the model.

$event.target - don't works in some versions of IE.