Shia LaBeouf Faces Battery Charges and Homophobic Slur Allegations in Mardi Gras Bar Incident
Actor Shia LaBeouf, 39, is confronting serious legal repercussions following a violent altercation at a New Orleans bar during the city's famed Mardi Gras festivities. According to a police report obtained by The Associated Press, LaBeouf has been charged with two counts of simple battery and is accused of repeatedly using homophobic slurs while physically assaulting multiple individuals.
Violent Outburst at Royal Street Inn & R Bar
The incident unfolded at the Royal Street Inn & R Bar, located near the historic French Quarter. Police documents state that LaBeouf "became irate and aggressive throughout the night" and struck several people with a closed fist. One of the victims, identified in the report as local entertainer Jeffrey Klein—known professionally as Jeffrey Damnit—provided a harrowing account of the attack.
"He hit me, he connected a few times with punches, he pushed me a few times," Damnit recounted. He described LaBeouf as "just got nuts" trying to instigate fights and threatening to beat people up. Damnit, who was wearing eye makeup and lipstick at the time, believes his appearance provoked LaBeouf's aggression.
"That's just somehow something that set him off, angered him and gave him a direction for his anger," Damnit said. "This guy wants me to be dead because I wear makeup. It's a screwed up thing." He added that earlier in the evening, LaBeouf had pushed him from behind at the bar while shouting homophobic slurs and making death threats.
Video Evidence and Arrest Details
Surveillance footage from the scene reportedly shows a shirtless LaBeouf shoving one person to the ground and striking another in the face, "causing his nose to possibly dislocate." Despite efforts by Damnit and others to subdue LaBeouf and persuade him to leave, he refused and grew increasingly hostile.
Police arrived at the bar around 12:45 a.m. on Fat Tuesday. Another video, recorded by Damnit and shared with the AP, captures LaBeouf appearing to mouth a homophobic slur while being detained. The police report notes he continued to repeat the slur during his arrest.
"These f-----s put me in jail," LaBeouf allegedly stated, later telling officers he is Catholic and denying any physical contact: "I didn't shove nobody, I never touched nobody." Representatives for LaBeouf did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In the early hours of February 18, LaBeouf posted "Free me" on his X account.
Release and Aftermath
A New Orleans magistrate judge ordered LaBeouf's release from custody on Tuesday without a bond requirement, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office spokesperson Gary Scheets. Following his release, videos surfaced showing LaBeouf dancing in the French Quarter and waving his jail release papers.
Damnit, a member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, expressed concern about potential professional repercussions for pressing charges against the actor. This incident adds to LaBeouf's history of legal troubles.
Pattern of Legal Issues
LaBeouf's run-ins with the law include:
- In 2017, he was arrested in New York for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, leading to court-ordered rehabilitation.
- Later that year, while filming "The Peanut Butter Falcon" in Georgia, he was arrested for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and obstruction, resulting in probation.
- In 2020, he faced misdemeanor battery and petty theft charges in Los Angeles.
Also in 2020, English singer and actor FKA Twigs (Tahliah Barnett) filed a lawsuit alleging LaBeouf was physically and emotionally abusive during their relationship, which was settled in July. Barnett claimed he put her in a constant state of fear, slammed her into a car, tried to strangle her, and knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease. LaBeouf apologized after the lawsuit was filed but later denied the accusations in a 2021 filing.
Career Background and Personal Life
LaBeouf first gained acclaim as a child actor on the Disney Channel series "Even Stevens" and is best known for his roles in "Transformers" (2007) and "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull" (2008). He shares a daughter, born in 2022, with actor Mia Goth.
