Shia LaBeouf arrested in New Orleans after Mardi Gras fight — report

Shia LaBeouf was arrested just after midnight on Tuesday in New Orleans where police said the 39‑year‑old “Transformers” film star assaulted two men in a fight during Mardi Gras.

The actor has previously faced a series of arrests and legal issues, including pleading guilty to a charge of obstruction. Police said he was charged with two counts of simple battery.

Officers were called around 12:45 a.m. (0645 GMT) to a business on Royal Street where two men reported being assaulted.

A police statement said LaBeouf had been causing a disturbance and growing increasingly aggressive. When a staffer tried to remove him, LaBeouf allegedly struck the man several times with closed fists.

The victims told police LaBeouf left but soon returned and acted even more aggressive. Several people tried to restrain him and briefly let him up in hopes he would leave, but he allegedly hit the same staffer again, punching his upper body. Police said he then punched another man in the nose.

Bystanders held LaBeouf until officers arrived. He was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries and released. Police gave no additional details on what triggered the disturbance or the victims’ conditions.

-Reporting by Danielle Broadway ; Editing by Howard Goller/Reuters