Actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans early Tuesday after allegedly punching two people outside a Royal Street business during Mardi Gras celebrations, police say. The 39-year-old "Transformers" star was charged with two counts of simple battery.
According to the New Orleans Police Department, LaBeouf was kicked out of the business after causing a disturbance. What followed was not a graceful exit.
"Once removed from the building, the victim reported being struck by LaBeouf who used his closed fists on the victim several times."
Police said LaBeouf then left the scene, only to return "acting even more aggressively." He allegedly struck the same person again with a closed fist to the upper body, then punched a second person in the nose. Multiple bystanders held LaBeouf down until officers arrived.
He was transported to a hospital for treatment of "unknown injuries," then arrested upon release.
Early Wednesday morning, LaBeouf posted two words to his X account: "Free me."
This is not the first time LaBeouf has found himself on the wrong side of a police report, NBC News reported, and the timeline is not flattering.
When the FKA Twigs lawsuit was filed, LaBeouf issued a statement that read less like a denial and more like a confession:
"I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I'm ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt."
He said at the time that he had no excuses for his "alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations."
There is a particular species of famous person who collects arrest records the way other people collect frequent flyer miles. LaBeouf, a former Disney child actor who became a blockbuster leading man, has now racked up criminal charges across multiple states and over more than a decade. Each incident follows the same arc: the outburst, the arrest, the public contrition, and then silence until the next one.
The circumstances leading to Tuesday's incident remain unclear. Police have not said what triggered the initial disturbance inside the business, and representatives for LaBeouf did not respond to requests for comment. What is clear is the outcome: two people struck, one in the nose, and an actor in handcuffs.
TMZ reported that videos circulated online Tuesday night showing LaBeouf on the streets of New Orleans, seemingly partying with revelers in the French Quarter. Hours later, the "Free me" post went up.
There is something almost too neat about it. A man with a documented history of violence and addiction, who publicly acknowledged that history in his own words, winds up charged with battery during one of the most alcohol-soaked events on the American calendar. It is not surprising. That is the problem.
American culture has a weakness for the redemption narrative, especially when the person seeking redemption has a recognizable face. LaBeouf leaned into that arc in recent years, speaking publicly about faith and sobriety. The details of whether that journey was genuine are between him and the people in his life.
But the legal system does not run on narrative arcs. It runs on charges, evidence, and consequences. Two counts of simple battery now sit on LaBeouf's record alongside a trail of prior incidents stretching back more than a decade.
At some point, the apology stops being the story. The pattern is.
