Actor Shia LaBeouf pleads guilty to battery counts after Mardi Gras fight at New Orleans bar

Actor Shia LaBeouf pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor battery counts Wednesday and received a suspended sentence and probation over his slur-filled antics outside a Marigny bar on the morning of Fat Tuesday, court records show.

Magistrate Judge Juana Lombard handed the “Transformers” and “Holes” star a six-month suspended sentence with two years’ probation over the three simple battery counts.

District Attorney Jason Williams filed the charges last month against Labeouf following his arrest on Mardi Gras morning. Labeouf’s attorney, Sarah Chervinsky, issued a statement after the guilty plea.

“The police and DA investigation proved exactly what Shia Labeouf said from the beginning — that this was nothing more than a minor Mardi Gras bar tussle,” Chervinsky said.

“There is no evidence it was about bias or prejudice, which is why the state only charged these low level misdemeanors. 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.”

New Orleans Police Department officers were called to R Bar in Faubourg Marigny at around 12:45 a.m. on Feb. 17 after receiving a report of two men being assaulted. All three charges relate to the bar incident.

LaBeouf was “reportedly causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive,” police said in a report. He allegedly punched an R Bar staff member trying to eject him due to his behavior.

Video showed LaBeouf taking his shirt off before approaching men outside of the Royal Street hangout, shoving one and punching others.

“Let’s fight, let’s fight,” LaBeouf can be heard saying in the video. Later, a crowd held him on the ground before police arrived.

Police said LaBeouf hurled a homophobic slur repeatedly during the fight, arrest and investigation, at one point saying, “These f****ts put me in jail. I’m a Catholic.”

Police later added a third battery count against LaBeouf over the same incident.

Williams’ office issued a statement after Wednesday’s guilty plea that said LaBeouf agreed to several conditions as part of a plea deal. The statement noted that he was never charged with a hate crime.

“We are not interested in elevating anyone’s profile because of who they are,” Williams said. “Our responsibility is the same in every case: to follow the facts, apply the law, and seek accountability where it is warranted.”

The DA’s statement said LaBeouf’s victims supported the agreement.

“The agreement creates meaningful legal consequences and enforceable conditions moving forward. If those conditions are violated, there are real penalties attached,” Williams said.

Staff writers Marco Cartolano and Missy Wilkinson contributed to this report.

Via: Nola