Shia LaBeouf allegedly used homophobic slurs while assaulting New Orleans bar patrons, police say
FILE - Shia LaBeouf attends the UK Premiere of "Salvable" at The Curzon Soho on July 08, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/WireImage)
Actor Shia LaBeouf allegedly threw homophobic slurs while assaulting multiple patrons inside of a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras, police said.
The "Even Stevens" actor was charged with two counts of simple battery after he allegedly hit several people with a closed fist at the Royal Street Inn & R Bar near the historic French Quarter.
Dig deeper:
LaBeouf, 39, "became irate and aggressive throughout the night" and "just got nuts," Jeffrey Damnit, one of the alleged victims, claimed in a police report obtained by The Associated Press.
Damnit, whose real name is Jeffrey Klein and is known as a local entertainer, also told police that LaBeouf allegedly pushed him and threatened his life.
Damnit was wearing eye makeup and lipstick and said he believes his appearance motivated LaBeouf's attack.
"That’s just somehow something that set him off, angered him and gave him a direction for his anger," Damnit said. "This guy wants me to be dead because I wear makeup. It’s a screwed up thing."
Shia LaBeouf arrested in NOLA
On the night of the alleged assault, a shirtless LaBeouf can be seen in video obtained by police, shoving people to the ground and hitting another person in the face.
Damnit and others subdued LaBeouf and attempted to get him to vacate the area, but said he would not leave. Damnit added LaBeouf only got aggressive.
Another video recorded by Damnit and shared with the AP shows LaBeouf looking at the camera and appearing to mouth a homophobic slur while police detained him. He continued to repeat the slur throughout the arrest, the police report stated.
"These f–––––s put me in jail," LaBeouf said, and then told police he's Catholic, according to the report.
"I didn’t shove nobody, I never touched nobody," LaBeouf tells New Orleans police officers in the video recorded by Damnit.
Representatives for LaBeouf did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In the early morning hours of Feb. 18, LaBeouf wrote "Free me" on his X account.
Shia LaBeouf released from jail
Local perspective:
A New Orleans magistrate judge ordered LaBeouf to be released on Tuesday without bond, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Gary Scheets.
Shia LaBeouf’s past legal troubles
The backstory:
LaBeouf has been open about his journey with sobriety and how alcoholism led him to past bad behavior.
In 2020, artist FKA twigs filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf, saying he sexually assaulted her and inflicted emotional distress. They settled the suit in 2025. LaBeouf denied the allegations.
In 2017, LaBeouf was arrested in Georgia for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press and previous reporting by LiveNOW from FOX.