Actor Shia LaBeouf has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to assaulting three individuals outside a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras celebrations. He must also attend an alcohol treatment program as part of the sentence delivered by Orleans Parish Judge Juana Marine-Lombard.
LaBeouf, recognized for roles like Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, was arrested near the historic French Quarter but released on bail. A video from February 17 shows LaBeouf, shirtless, pushing one person to the ground and hitting another, potentially dislocating his nose. Police reported that LaBeouf used homophobic slurs throughout the incident.
LaBeouf pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery. Alongside probation and a suspended six-month sentence, he must avoid contact with the victims and the bar. His attorney, Sarah Chervinsky, stated that LaBeouf wanted to take accountability for the incident, describing it as a minor Mardi Gras bar scuffle, and emphasized that no evidence it was about bias or prejudice.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams mentioned that his office consulted the victims before offering the plea deal. Jeffrey Damnit, identified by police as Jeffrey Klein and one of the people attacked, expressed hope for LaBeouf’s behavioral improvement following substance abuse treatment.
LaBeouf’s behavior has been under scrutiny, with past incidents involving law enforcement. Earlier, he was ordered to undergo drug and alcohol rehabilitation, but he denied having a drinking problem in a YouTube interview, attributing the Mardi Gras aggression to issues with anger and ego
rather than substance abuse. LaBeouf has also expressed discomfort around certain individuals, making remarks viewed as homophobic.
Previously, LaBeouf converted to Catholicism and has faced legal challenges, including arrests in New York and Georgia, and allegations from singer FKA Twigs of abuse, which were settled earlier this year. He rose to fame as a child actor in Disney Channel’s Even Stevens.
Brook, an Associated Press/Report for America corps member, contributed to this report. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover underreported issues.