Shia LaBeouf arrested again in New Orleans over Mardi Gras bar fight
Shia LaBeouf has been arrested for a second time in New Orleans in connection with a Mardi Gras bar fight that has now led to three battery charges against the actor.
LaBeouf, 39, was taken into custody Saturday on an additional count of simple battery related to a February 17 altercation outside the Royal Street Inn & R Bar in the city’s Marigny neighborhood, near the French Quarter. The new charge stems from what authorities describe as an additional victim from the same early-morning incident.
According to New Orleans police, officers responded around 12:45 a.m. on Mardi Gras after reports of a disturbance. Investigators allege LaBeouf, who had been asked to leave the bar, struck multiple individuals with his fists. A police report cited video showing the actor shoving one person to the ground and hitting another in the face, “causing his nose to possibly dislocate.” One of the alleged victims, local entertainer Jeffrey Klein, known as Jeffrey “Damnit,” told the Associated Press that LaBeouf punched and shoved him repeatedly and shouted homophobic slurs.
LaBeouf was initially arrested February 17 on two counts of simple battery and released on his own recognizance. On Thursday, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Simone Levine set a $100,000 bond and ordered the actor to undergo drug testing and enroll in substance abuse treatment, expressing concern about his alcohol use. The actor posted bond following that hearing.
After police issued a new warrant Friday tied to the same incident, LaBeouf voluntarily turned himself in Saturday at the Orleans Parish jail, his attorney Sarah Chervinsky said. She argued that requiring more than $100,000 in bonds and jailing him twice over what she characterized as a single misdemeanor incident was excessive.
“No regular person would be required to post over $100,000 in bonds and be jailed two separate times for one misdemeanor incident,” said Chervinsky. “Just as he does not deserve preferential treatment, Mr. LaBeouf also does not deserve to be treated more harshly by the police and courts just because he is a public figure.” ~ Entertainment Weekly
LaBeouf was released after posting an additional $5,000 bond.
LaBeouf has not yet entered a plea in any of the three pending charges. In a recent interview, he acknowledged being intoxicated during the incident, saying, “It’s on me. I messed up,” and indicated he plans to address the matter.
The actor, known for roles in Even Stevens and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has had previous legal troubles, including a 2017 arrest in Georgia on charges of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. LaBeouf is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on March 19 in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. The court will determine how the three misdemeanor battery charges proceed and whether he remains in compliance with the judge’s orders for substance abuse treatment.
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(Sources: KHOU, CBS News, Yahoo! News, Entertainment Weekly)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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