Actor Shia LaBeouf has pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery and been sentenced to probation following an altercation outside a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras celebrations.
The 39-year-old actor, best known for his roles in Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, admitted the offences stemming from an incident that took place on 17 February near the city's historic French Quarter.
Under the sentence imposed by an Orleans Parish judge, LaBeouf received a six-month suspended jail term and two years of probation. He has also been ordered to complete an alcohol treatment programme and stay away from the three victims involved in the case, as well as the bar where the incident occurred.
According to LaBeouf's lawyer, Sarah Chervinsky, the actor appeared in court to accept responsibility for his actions.
"Mr LaBeouf came to court today wanting to take accountability for his part in what happened, and he has done so," she said.
"Now he's looking forward to focusing on family, work, and new creative projects."
Video footage from the incident showed a shirtless LaBeouf outside the venue shoving one person to the ground and striking another in the face. A police report stated that one victim suffered a nose injury that may have been dislocated.
Shia LaBeouf. BAKOUNINE, Shutterstock
Judge Juana Marine-Lombard handed down the sentence following the guilty plea.
Chervinsky described the incident as a "minor Mardi Gras bar tussle" and said there was "no evidence it was about bias or prejudice."
One of the alleged victims, local entertainer Jeffrey Damnit, who police identified as Jeffrey Klein, previously told the Associated Press that LaBeouf became aggressive while attempting to start fights.
"He hit me, he connected a few times with punches, he pushed me a few times," Damnit said.
He alleged that LaBeouf had earlier pushed him from behind inside the bar, used homophobic slurs and threatened his life. Damnit said he and others attempted to restrain the actor and encourage him to leave the area, but claimed LaBeouf became increasingly aggressive.
Following his arrest in February, a judge ordered LaBeouf to return to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
The latest case adds to a series of legal troubles involving the actor over the past decade. In 2017, he was arrested in New York on suspicion of assault during a livestream event. Later that year, while filming The Peanut Butter Falcon in Georgia, he was arrested for public drunkenness and faced charges of disorderly conduct and obstruction, ultimately receiving probation.
In 2020, LaBeouf was charged with misdemeanour battery and petty theft in Los Angeles.
The same year, singer and actor FKA twigs, whose legal name is Tahliah Barnett, filed a lawsuit accusing LaBeouf of physical and emotional abuse during their relationship. The case was settled in July 2025.
LaBeouf first rose to prominence as a child actor through his starring role in the Disney Channel comedy series Even Stevens, before going on to become one of Hollywood's most recognisable leading men.
