More details have come to light regarding Shia LaBeouf‘s recent arrest in New Orleans, in which he was charged with two counts of simple battery after hitting two people.
The actor was celebrating Mardi Gras at a bar in the French Quarter earlier this week, when a fight broke out after police say he was accused of “causing a disturbance.”
According to a New Orleans police report obtained by The Associated Press, LaBeouf also shouted homophobic slurs at the people he was fighting with, yelling, “These f–––––s put me in jail,” and said he’s a Catholic. A representative for the actor did not immediately return a request for comment.
The report stated that LaBeouf, 39, “became irate and aggressive throughout the night” and hit multiple people with a closed fist at the Royal Street Inn & R Bar, near the historic French Quarter.
Jeffrey Damnit, who police identified as Jeffrey Klein in the incident report, said he was one of the people struck by LaBeouf. “He hit me, he connected a few times with punches, he pushed me a few times,” Damnit claimed. He said he was wearing eye makeup and lipstick at the time and that he believes his appearance motivated LaBeouf’s attack.
“That’s just somehow something that set him off, angered him and gave him a direction for his anger,” said Damnit. “This guy wants me to be dead because I wear makeup. It’s a screwed up thing.” He alleged the actor had pushed him from behind earlier in the night, yelling homophobic slurs and threatening his life.
According to AP, a video shows a shirtless LaBeouf shoving one person to the ground and striking another individual in the face, which a police report states caused his “nose to possibly dislocate.”
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In another video recorded by Damnit, LaBeouf reportedly faces the camera and appears to mouth a homophobic slur while police detain him. The police report stated he continued to repeat the slur throughout the arrest.
Following his arrest, police took LaBeouf to the hospital, where he was treated for unknown injuries. He was arrested and charged upon his release. Hours after being released from jail, LaBeouf was back out on the streets of New Orleans. At night, he was seen dancing on the street with what appeared to be his arrest papers hanging from his mouth.
Prior to the various reports citing LaBeouf’s behaviour in New Orleans, three production sources told Rolling Stone that the actor’s increasingly erratic behaviour sparked concern on the set of his upcoming film, The Rooster Prince, last fall. “He was completely wild,” one production member said. “I don’t think he’s stable. I don’t know that he’s been stable for a while.”
From Rolling Stone US
