{"id":307308,"date":"2026-02-20T03:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T03:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/307308\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T03:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T03:33:08","slug":"man-allegedly-assaulted-by-shia-labeouf-in-new-orleans-wants-to-see-hate-crime-charges-shia-labeouf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/307308\/","title":{"rendered":"Man allegedly assaulted by Shia LaBeouf in New Orleans wants to see hate crime charges | Shia LaBeouf"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the men whom Shia LaBeouf<\/a> allegedly battered and insulted with a homophobic slur<\/a> on Mardi Gras morning in New Orleans on Tuesday, leading to his arrest, would like to see the actor face hate crime charges.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Damnit, who dresses in drag and was in makeup at the time of the encounter with LaBeouf<\/a>, said on Thursday that the behavior attributed to the Transformers film franchise star was \u201ca complete slap in the face to any alternative-culture person\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said that he hoped prosecutors in Louisiana\u2019s most famous city would pursue charges under a state hate crimes law, which allows for enhanced penalties against anyone who is found to have victimized another person on the \u201cactual or perceived\u201d basis of sex or gender, among other categories.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to his fame, if he gets away without serious consequence, anyone who looks up to him or even just knows of him will think it is OK to do the same,\u201d Damnit said, two days after LaBeouf was ordered released from authorities\u2019 custody without needing to post bond.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will think you can call someone \u2018faggot\u2019, punch him a few times, get a free room for the night and be back out partying by noon the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaBeouf was approached for comment on Thursday about the allegations against him. The actor remarked: \u201cGet your ass up out of here, you silly bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those brief comments appeared to be his first in response to his arrest<\/a> at the R Bar in New Orleans\u2019s Marigny section in connection to sworn police allegations that he punched Damnit and a second man while repeatedly insulting both with the word \u201cfaggot\u201d.<\/p>\n

Shia LaBeouf. Photograph: Orleans parish, Louisiana, sheriff\u2019s office, via Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana<\/p>\n

The Guardian, which viewed a video showing LaBeouf using the word \u201cfaggot\u201d at the time of his arrest, had made multiple attempts to contact the actor and his representatives to respond to the allegations against him. They did not reply or decline comment, so the Guardian approached LaBeouf at a New Orleans<\/a> home address listed for him in the police report generated by his arrest.<\/p>\n

LaBeouf\u2019s front door was wide open when a Guardian reporter equipped with a press badge, pen and notepad arrived at the address. The actor was speaking with a locksmith. The two men soon walked out, and LaBeouf asked: \u201cWhat\u2019s up with you?\u201d when he realized the reporter was standing toward the edge of his home\u2019s small front yard.<\/p>\n

After being given the opportunity to respond to the allegations against him, LaBeouf gestured as if waving the journalist away and said: \u201cGet your ass up out of here, you silly bitch.\u201d He then screamed: \u201cYeah \u2013 I\u2019m Shia LaBeouf<\/a>,\u201d as the reporter complied with his request to leave.<\/p>\n

Police allege that LaBeouf became increasingly aggressive on the day of his arrest at R Bar, which is a short walk from New Orleans\u2019s renowned French Quarter.<\/p>\n

Court documents state that LaBeouf tried to punch a bar manager who was trying to escort him out of the business. Once removed, LaBeouf allegedly punched the 49-year-old Damnit \u2013 who was helping the bar manager \u2013 in his upper body.<\/p>\n

LaBeouf subsequently returned and punched Nathan Thomas Reed, 34, in the nose, though the latter man had said he did not want to fight, officers alleged in the police report. The police report noted that LaBeouf was alleged to have aimed the word \u201cfaggot\u201d at Reed and Damnit repeatedly.<\/p>\n

Damnit, an actor and frequent New Orleans visitor from Los Angeles, was wearing mascara, eyeshadow and lipstick at the time of his encounter with LaBeouf. Social media pictures show Damnit \u2013 whose given last name is Klein \u2013 having celebrated Mardi Gras in drag.<\/p>\n

Reed, meanwhile, says he identifies as queer.<\/p>\n

Bystanders ultimately held LaBeouf down until police and paramedics arrived, officers reported. He was taken to a hospital, discharged and then booked with two counts of simple battery.<\/p>\n

After his release from jail, LaBeouf was seen<\/a> partying on Bourbon Street, a lively spot during New Orleans\u2019s Mardi Gras revelry. He had Mardi Gras beads around his neck and danced with his jail release papers in his mouth at one point.<\/p>\n

LaBeouf has had several<\/a> previous<\/a> brushes with the criminal and civil court systems. During a 2017 disorderly conduct arrest in Savannah, Georgia, which led to a court-mandated rehab stint, LaBeouf was recorded accusing police of being racist and saying a Black officer on the scene was going to hell.<\/p>\n

While being arrested in 2014 over allegations that he disrupted a Broadway show in New York City, LaBeouf was accused<\/a> of using the homophobic slur \u201cfag\u201d to insult a police officer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the men whom Shia LaBeouf allegedly battered and insulted with a homophobic slur on Mardi Gras…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307309,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-307308","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}