NEW ORLEANS — Actor Shia LaBeouf must return to substance abuse treatment following his arrest during Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans, where he faces battery charges for allegedly attacking several people outside a French Quarter establishment.
Orleans Parish Criminal Court Judge Simone Levine established a $100,000 bond Thursday for the 39-year-old actor, who appeared before the court dressed in a fleece jacket and jeans with cowboy boots. The judge criticized LaBeouf for allegedly shouting anti-gay slurs while physically assaulting multiple individuals, with police reports indicating he dislocated one person’s nose.
During the hearing, Levine mandated that LaBeouf undergo weekly substance testing, beginning immediately with a courthouse screening. His legal representative confirmed the initial test came back negative for illegal drugs.
The judge expressed serious concerns about community safety, particularly regarding marginalized groups that have faced significant hardship. “This defendant does not take his alcohol addiction seriously,” Levine stated. “This court does not believe he understands the level of seriousness when it comes to these allegations.”
She specifically referenced the episode as a threat to “the safety of this larger community, especially relative to a marginalized community that has gone through so much terror,” speaking about the LGBTQ+ community.
Following his bond payment, LaBeouf refused media interviews in the courthouse corridor. “No, I won’t say a word,” he told reporters. “God bless you, leave me alone.” The actor has yet to enter a formal plea regarding the charges.
Local performer Jeffrey Damnit, whose legal name is Jeffrey Klein according to police documents, previously described how LaBeouf repeatedly struck him while using homophobic language and making death threats. Damnit believes he became a target due to his makeup and eyeliner.
“This guy wants me to be dead because I wear makeup,” Damnit explained. “It’s a screwed-up thing.”
Judge Levine revealed that when she initially released LaBeouf without bond shortly after his February 17 arrest, she hadn’t yet reviewed the police documentation detailing his alleged use of slurs while returning to the establishment and striking patrons after staff requested his departure. Video footage has emerged showing the actor hitting multiple individuals.
Following his release from jail, LaBeouf was spotted celebrating in the French Quarter streets during Mardi Gras festivities.
The court has prohibited LaBeouf from contacting the victims or visiting the location where the incident occurred. Additionally, Levine rejected his attorney’s request for permission to travel to Rome in March for what was described as “religious observations, including his father’s baptism.”
The judge questioned whether LaBeouf “could handle his alcohol” during the proceedings.
Defense attorney Sarah Chervinsky argued to the court that “being drunk on Mardi Gras is not a crime.”
