New Orleans state prosecutors filed formal misdemeanor battery charges against actor Shia LaBeouf on Thursday, following his February arrest for allegedly striking three men at a local bar.
The decision by District Attorney Jason Williams means the office bypassed hate-crime charges, despite video evidence showing the Transformers star using anti-gay slurs during the incident.
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The physical altercation occurred at approximately 12:45 a. m.
on February 17 during the city's Mardi Gras holiday at the R Bar in the Marigny neighborhood.
LaBeouf allegedly punched two men and headbutted a third after staff asked him to leave for aggressive behavior.
Following his arrest and a brief hospital discharge, LaBeouf secured release on a $105,000 bond under judicial orders to undergo substance abuse treatment.
One victim, Jeffrey Damnit, recorded a cellphone video of the actor using a homophobic slur outside the venue.
He previously expressed hope that prosecutors would apply the state's penalty-enhancement laws regarding targeted offenses based on sex or gender.
The state law allows individuals to use a reasonable amount of violence to prevent certain offenses against themselves, which became a point of discussion in the local legal community following subsequent explanations from the actor.
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LaBeouf addressed the confrontation during a media appearance conducted nearly two weeks after the altercations took place. He said, "big gay people are scary."
The actor linked his reaction to his personal religious background before describing the actions of the individuals inside the establishment.
"three gay dudes [were] next to me, touching my leg," LaBeouf said.
He concluded his recollection by characterizing his emotional state during the encounter and acknowledging the public perception of his language.
"I [got] scared," he said. The actor followed immediately with a final statement regarding the characterization of his words.
"I'm sorry – if that's homophobic, then I'm that."
The legal incident adds to LaBeouf's prior record within the US criminal court system, which includes a 2014 disorderly conduct arrest in New York where he allegedly used a similar slur against law enforcement, and a 2017 arrest in Georgia that resulted in court-ordered rehabilitation.
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An official arraignment date for LaBeouf to enter his formal plea has not yet been scheduled by the court.
