Actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested early Tuesday in New Orleans during Mardi Gras celebrations and booked on two counts of simple battery, police said. Officers responded around 12:45 a.m. to a disturbance at a Royal Street business after reports that a man identified as LaBeouf had become increasingly aggressive inside the venue.
According to the police account, a staff member tried to remove him, and LaBeouf allegedly struck that person several times with closed fists once outside. Investigators said he left, returned shortly after, and again attacked the same staffer, then allegedly punched a second man in the nose. Bystanders restrained him until officers arrived, police said. LaBeouf went to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries before he was taken into custody.
Court records reported by local media said a judge released LaBeouf on his own recognizance later Tuesday, before a scheduled first appearance in magistrate court. Hours after his release, he was seen back in the French Quarter as city officials moved to shut down late-night revelry.
By Wednesday morning, LaBeouf posted a short message on X: “Free me.” His representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and court and jail records cited in reporting did not list an attorney who could speak for him.
The charge he faces is a misdemeanor under Louisiana law. The state’s statute says a simple battery conviction can carry a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both. The arrest lands on a public record that already includes past legal cases and public scrutiny tied to earlier arrests and an abuse lawsuit filed by FKA twigs that later settled.
