Shia LeBeouf pleads not guilty to theft and battery following altercation

Shia LeBeouf pleads not guilty to theft and battery following altercation with a man in Los Angeles over the summer

Shia LaBeouf has pleaded not guilty to petty theft and battery, stemming from an altercation with another man in Los Angeles on June 12th.

The Hollywood actor, 34, was not in court to submit his plea, but his attorney responded to the two misdemeanour charges on his behalf, and the case will go back before a judge on 20 January, 2021.

It was explained in October that the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office had decided to press charges against Shia for allegedly using force and violence against Tyler Murphy, as well as taking his hat, during the incident. 

Plea: Shia LaBeouf has pleaded not guilty to petty theft and battery, stemming from an altercation with another man in Los Angeles on June 12th

Neither party suffered any serious injuries during the incident, which led to Shia having an arraignment hearing on Thursday.

This isn’t the first time the star has had a run-in with the law, as in July 2017, he was ordered to rehab after being arrested for disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and obstruction in Savannah, Georgia, while in shooting The Peanut Butter Falcon.

Transformers star Shia was also arrested for disorderly conduct, harassment, and criminal trespass. in 2014.

Court: The star, 34, was not in court to submit his plea, but his attorney responded to the two misdemeanour charges on his behalf. The case will go back before a judge on 20 January

Court: The star, 34, was not in court to submit his plea, but his attorney responded to the two misdemeanour charges on his behalf. The case will go back before a judge on 20 January

It had been claimed at the time that he was ‘acting disorderly, yelling and being loud’.

He subsequently sought outpatient treatment for alcoholism, while pleading guilty to disorderly conduct. The trespassing and harassment charges were dropped. 

The actor has previously expressed the ‘deep shame’ he felt after his 2017 arrest and explained he realised he was struggling with more than just an alcohol problem when he went into rehab.

He said: ‘I was drunk out of my mind and not rational at all… [I felt] a kind of shame, deep shame.

‘It was the first time I was told I had PTSD. I had just thought I was an alcoholic. The stuff that’s in [autobiographical film] Honey Boy comes out of these exposure therapy sessions.’

He also addressed the comments he made when he was arrested, including, “[The President] doesn’t give a f**k about you, and you wanna do what? Arrest white people?”, and admitted they had left him not wanting to ‘be alive’.

He said: ‘I’m feeling like people on set think I’m a racist, believe I’m a racist, and I’m feeling all of that and don’t want to be alive, basically.’

In recent years, the Eagle Eye actor has made strides into writing, and has garnered critical acclaim with his 2019 semi-autobiographical film, Honey Boy.

The film depicts an allegorical version of the early days of Shia’s career and his relationship with his father, a Vietnam War veteran.

Charges: It was explained in October that the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office had decided to press charges against Shia for allegedly using force and violence against Tyler Murphy

Charges: It was explained in October that the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office had decided to press charges against Shia for allegedly using force and violence against Tyler Murphy