Mardi Gras Chaos: shia labeouf Arrested After Days-Long New Orleans Bar Crawl
Actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans in the early hours of Tuesday following an incident at a Royal Street establishment that ended with two men allegedly struck. The arrest capped several days in which witnesses and bar staff say the actor — who has publicly discussed past struggles with alcohol — was seen drinking and creating disturbances across Uptown venues in the run-up to Fat Tuesday.
Timeline and police action
New Orleans police were called at 12: 45 a. m. ET on Tuesday after staff at a Royal Street business reported that a man had been punched. Officers say the 39-year-old was removed from the premises and that a victim reported being struck multiple times with closed fists. After leaving the scene, the actor returned and allegedly struck the same man again, then punched another man in the nose, police said.
He was restrained until officers arrived, transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries described as unknown, and then charged with two counts of simple battery. He is due back in court on March 19.
Barroom behavior and multiple sightings
Bar staff and patrons described a string of encounters that began earlier in the long holiday weekend. Witnesses placed him at several Uptown bars and lounges where he was alternately convivial and belligerent. At one long-running dive he arrived shirtless and without cash, allegedly ran into a door and attempted to act as a celebrity bartender before being asked to leave. Staff there say he tried to use a credit card in a clearly marked cash-only bar and was told to put his shirt back on.
Other accounts describe him loudly giving unsolicited acting notes at a cigar-and-jazz spot and making brief appearances along parade routes, where many attendees recognized him and asked for photos. At a neighborhood venue that instituted an automatic gratuity after a card was dipped and not signed, co-ownership confirmed he was "totally chill" on one visit. But other bartenders painted a harsher picture, saying his behavior across multiple nights had been disruptive and, in one anonymous staffer’s words, like someone “terrorizing the city. ”
Aftermath and public reaction
In the immediate hours after the arrest, the actor posted a brief message — two words — to his sizable social audience in the early morning hours, a post that came after he was briefly treated at a hospital and then seen back at a Mardi Gras gathering later that night, per observers. The arrest marks the latest public incident for a performer whose past includes legal disputes and a very public reckoning with personal issues.
Witness statements and venue reports indicate this was not an isolated misstep but rather part of an extended period of heavy partying during one of the city's busiest weekends. Staffers at several establishments said they had varying degrees of interaction with him across the last week, from friendly encounters to ones that required intervention. No injuries to staff have been detailed in the accounts shared with journalists, beyond the two men who say they were struck.
He faces two simple battery charges and will return to court on March 19. The episode has reignited discussion about accountability and public conduct for high-profile figures when private struggles spill into public spaces during large-scale events. Representatives for the actor have not issued a public statement on the matter.
