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One of the men whom Shia LaBeouf allegedly battered and insulted with a homophobic slur on Mardi Gras morning in New Orleans on Tuesday, leading to his arrest, would like to see the actor face hate crime charges.
Jeffrey Damnit, who dresses in drag and was in makeup at the time of the encounter with LaBeouf, said on Thursday that the behavior attributed to the Transformers film franchise star was “a complete slap in the face to any alternative-culture person”.
He said that he hoped prosecutors in Louisiana’s 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 “actual or perceived” basis of sex or gender, among other categories.
“Due 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,” Damnit said, two days after LaBeouf was ordered released from authorities’ custody without needing to post bond.
“They will think you can call someone ‘faggot’, punch him a few times, get a free room for the night and be back out partying by noon the next day.”
LaBeouf was approached for comment on Thursday about the allegations against him. The actor remarked: “Get your ass up out of here, you silly bitch.”
Those brief comments appeared to be his first in response to his arrest at the R Bar in New Orleans’s Marigny section in connection to sworn police allegations that he punched Damnit and a second man while repeatedly insulting both with the word “faggot”.
The Guardian, which viewed a video showing LaBeouf using the word “faggot” 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 home address listed for him in the police report generated by his arrest.
LaBeouf’s 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: “What’s up with you?” when he realized the reporter was standing toward the edge of his home’s small front yard.
After being given the opportunity to respond to the allegations against him, LaBeouf gestured as if waving the journalist away and said: “Get your ass up out of here, you silly bitch.” He then screamed: “Yeah – I’m Shia LaBeouf,” as the reporter complied with his request to leave.
Police allege that LaBeouf became increasingly aggressive on the day of his arrest at R Bar, which is a short walk from New Orleans’s renowned French Quarter.
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 – who was helping the bar manager – in his upper body.
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 “faggot” at Reed and Damnit repeatedly.
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 – whose given last name is Klein – having celebrated Mardi Gras in drag.
Reed, meanwhile, says he identifies as queer.
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.
After his release from jail, LaBeouf was seen partying on Bourbon Street, a lively spot during New Orleans’s Mardi Gras revelry. He had Mardi Gras beads around his neck and danced with his jail release papers in his mouth at one point.
LaBeouf has had several previous 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.
While being arrested in 2014 over allegations that he disrupted a Broadway show in New York City, LaBeouf was accused of using the homophobic slur “fag” to insult a police officer.
