Shia LaBeouf surrendered to New Orleans police after they obtained a new warrant Friday to arrest him again in connection with a case that had already left him facing two counts of battery.
The new warrant brought the number of people whom the Transformers film franchise star is accused of battering to three. He turned himself over to police in advance of a bail hearing on Saturday afternoon, after which he posted a $5,000 bond to continue out of authorities’ custody while awaiting the outcome of the case.
Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana first reported the additional arrest warrant early Friday evening, citing multiple sources. The Guardian also independently verified the information with a criminal justice source with direct knowledge of the warrant.
LaBeouf, 39, was initially booked on 17 February on two counts of simple battery after he allegedly shouted homophobic slurs and punched multiple people at about 12.45am at the R Bar in New Orleans’s Marigny neighborhood after he was asked to leave.
He was released on his own recognizance after the initial arrest, meaning he did not have to post bond. He was seen later that day – which was the festive holiday Mardi Gras – on New Orleans’s famous Bourbon Street.
The warrant issued on Friday accuses LaBeouf of also having head-butted a third person. It was issued a day after LaBeouf appeared in New Orleans criminal district court for a hearing on the initial charges.
Judge Simone Levine on Thursday set a $100,000 bond for LaBeouf and ordered him to undergo drug testing as well as enroll in substance abuse treatment.
LaBeouf took a drug and alcohol test in the courthouse.
Levine did not discuss the specific findings but said the test result left her concerned that LaBeouf “does not take his alcohol addiction seriously”.
LaBeouf, who is described in court records as a New Orleans resident, posted bond and sprinted away from reporters after the hearing.
A statement from LaBeouf’s private defense attorney, Sarah Chervinsky, on Saturday maintained that “no regular person would be required to post over $100,000 in bonds and be jailed two separate times for one misdemeanor incident”.
Chervinsky’s statement also asserted: “Just as he does not deserve preferential treatment, Mr LaBeouf also does not deserve to be treated more harshly by the police and courts just because he is a public figure.”
