Shia LaBeouf pleads guilty to Mardi Gras bar fight as alleged homophobic slurs detailed
LaBeouf was booked on 17 February on two counts of simple battery after he allegedly shouted homophobic slurs and punched multiple people at the R Bar in New Orleans’s Marigny neighborhood (Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
Holes actor Shia LaBeouf has pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery over a Mardi Gras incident outside a New Orleans bar, with a witness and police reporting alleging he used homophobic slurs during the altercation.
The 39-year-old actor entered the plea on Wednesday (3 June) and was sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence and two years’ probation, according to the AP’s reporting. He must attend an alcohol treatment programme and stay away from the victims and the bar. He was also ordered to complete sensitivity training and anger management classes.
A New Orleans police report said video saw a shirtless LaBeouf pushing one person to the ground and also hitting another in the face, with the punch “causing his nose to possibly dislocate”. Jeffrey Damnit, a local entertainer identified by police as Jeffrey Klein, alleged he was one of the people attacked. “He hit me, he connected a few times with punches, he pushed me a few times,” Damnit said. Damnit also alleged LaBeouf had pushed him previously, also shouting homophobic slurs and threatening him.
As reported by The Independent, LaBeouf’s lawyer Sarah Chervinsky said: “There is no evidence it was about bias or prejudice, which is why the state only charged these low-level misdemeanors.” She described the incident as a “minor Mardi Gras bar tussle” and added: “Mr. LaBeouf came to court today wanting to take accountability for his part in what happened, and he has done so. Now he’s looking forward to focusing on family, work, and new creative projects.”
What happened in New Orleans
The altercation took place shortly after midnight on 17 February during Mardi Gras. Formal charges were filed on 21 May. The case was not charged as a hate crime.
Orleans Parish district attorney Jason Williams said: “The agreement creates meaningful legal consequences and enforceable conditions moving forward.”
LaBeouf’s remarks and background
In a Channel 5 interview with Andrew Callaghan published after the incident, LaBeouf said: “When I’m standing by myself and three gay dudes are next to me touching my leg, I get scared,” adding: “I’m sorry. If that’s homophobic, then I’m that.”
LaBeouf broke out as a child actor on Disney Channel’s Even Stevens before transitioning into major studio films, including the Transformers franchise and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
He has cultivated a volatile, performance-art-adjacent public persona, alongside periods of reported sobriety and rehabilitation.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
