Police: shia labeouf arrested in New Orleans after alleged bar brawls during Mardi Gras
Shia LaBeouf was arrested early Tuesday following a series of alleged confrontations at bars in New Orleans’ festival district during Mardi Gras. Authorities say the actor was charged with two counts of simple battery after bystanders intervened and paramedics treated him at the scene.
Arrest and alleged altercations
New Orleans police say officers were called to the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood at approximately 1: 45 AM ET on Tuesday after reports of an increasingly aggressive individual at an establishment on Royal Street. Court documents describe an episode in which staff attempted to escort the actor out of the bar, during which he allegedly lunged at a manager. After being removed, the documents allege, he then struck one patron who assisted staff and returned to punch a second man in the nose.
Bystanders restrained LaBeouf until emergency personnel arrived. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, discharged, and later arrested on two counts of simple battery. Law enforcement records indicate he was ordered released on his own recognizance later that day. Within hours, footage circulating from the area showed him on Bourbon Street holding what appeared to be his release paperwork while dancing among revelers.
Staff at one of the bars said they do not want him to return. Multiple eyewitness accounts also described unruly behavior by the actor at other venues across the city in the days leading up to the arrest. Video shared online showed a shirtless man being attended to by paramedics in the early-morning moments following the incident.
Background, past struggles and legal history
LaBeouf has been public about his struggles with sobriety in recent years and previously completed court-mandated treatment after a 2017 arrest. He drew on personal challenges for his semi-autobiographical film Honey Boy. In his personal life, he and his partner have experienced periods of separation and reconciliation over the past decade, and they share a child.
Separately, a high-profile civil suit brought years earlier alleged sexual and physical abuse; that matter was settled in July 2025. LaBeouf has denied the allegations. The actor has also spoken in the past about receiving support from peers in the industry during difficult stretches.
What comes next
Legal documents list a tentative next court date of March 19. The circumstances surrounding the alleged altercations remain under investigation, and law enforcement has not outlined any motive. Representatives of LaBeouf have not commented publicly on the arrest in the immediate aftermath.
The arrest punctuates a widely observed Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans, when thousands converge on the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods. City officials and venue operators frequently warn that heightened crowds and alcohol make for unpredictable conditions; this episode has prompted renewed discussion locally about crowd safety and bar security during major events.
For now, the immediate legal matter is limited to the two simple battery counts filed in connection with the Royal Street incident. Further developments, including any formal filings or changes to the court schedule, will be monitored as the case moves forward.
