Shia LaBeouf has been charged with three misdemeanour counts of simple battery, after he was arrested in New Orleans in February over a bar brawl.
The 39-year-old was on a bar crawl through the city’s French Quarter in the small hours of February 17 during Mardi Gras, when he was said to have struck other men at a bar.
He was arrested and required to post a $105,000 bond (approximately £78,000), once the judge understood he had been accused of using a homophobic slur during the brawl.
Prosecutors have reportedly chosen not to pursue hate-crime charges, despite the slurs being caught on video.
Attorney Michael Kennedy, who represents one of the men LaBeouf is accused of striking, said: ‘The fact that the district attorney’s office is moving forward with this case when there is overwhelming evidence that a crime was committed should not be a surprise to anyone – because being a celebrity does not buy you special treatment in New Orleans.’
Employees at local bars claimed that he turned up shirtless and without any cash, was ‘inebriated’ and asked ‘Do you know who I am?’ to staff members.
Another declared that he was ‘terrorising the city’ when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, footage and photos from the local carnival showed LeBeouf in the aftermath of the alleged altercation outside of a bar.
An eyewitness told the publication that LeBeouf was escorted out of the bar by staff for an unknown reason before getting into a brawl.
He was then said to have walked off, only to loop back around to the bar, according to the witness.
He was then seen receiving medical attention from emergency service workers before being loaded into a parked ambulance with its lights flashing.
The Even Stevens actor was allowed to stay out of jail under the agreement that he undergo regular drug and alcohol testing and also check into a rehabilitation facility.
The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office has now reportedly filed charges against the actor, according to the local news station WWL.
The New Orleans force confirmed to Metro that the case is in the DA’s hands.
In an interview 11 days after the arrest, the controversial child star claimed he was ‘scared’ by a number of men who he said were gay and who approached him during the Shrove Tuesday event.
He said on the YouTube series Channel 5: ‘I was drunk and then I felt infringed upon in terms of my proximity. But I wasn’t in my right mind, and so it’s on me.’
Addressing the claim he used a homophobic slur, the actor said: ‘I said words not okay to say. I don’t want to hurt nobody’s feelings…. I’m wrong for what I did.’
However, elsewhere in the conversation he also said: ‘Big gay people are scary to me. When I’m standing by myself and three gay dudes are next to me, touching my leg, I get scared. I’m sorry. If that’s homophobic then I’m that.’
Metro contacted the Orleans DA and Shia LaBeouf’s representatives for comment.
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