Shia LaBeouf may have been driving under the influence
Sunday evening when his pickup truck collided with another vehicle and rolled
over, but authorities say the accident was not his fault, reports Reuters.
Shia LaBeouf has been cleared of blame in the weekend
collision that concluded with him receiving extensive surgery in his left hand
and the other two persons involved suffering minor injuries.
Authorities determined that the other driver ran a red light,
thus exonerating him of having caused the accident. “LaBeouf has been
determined at this stage not to have caused the accident,” said Steve Whitmore,
a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The accident occurred at about 2:30 a.m. at the intersection
of La Brea and Fountain avenues, when the “Indiana Jones” star made a left turn
and collided with another vehicle. As a result of the impact, the 22-year-old
actor’s pickup truck rolled over.
He sustained injuries to his head and a knee, as well as to
his left hand. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center
for surgery and is now recovering. His convalescence is to last some 30 days,
during which time he will not be able to film “Transformers 2.”
His passenger in the car, co-star Isabel Lucas, suffered
only minor injuries and returned Monday on the set, reports the New York Daily
News.
The driver of the other car, also female, suffered no
serious injury.
Authorities said Sunday Shia LaBeouf was driving under the
influence and “was exhibiting obvious signs of intoxication” upon being
arrested.
LaBeouf was cited for misdemeanor driving under the
influence. Should the other two persons involved have suffered more serious
injuries, LaBeouf would have been cited for felony.
Whitmore explained officials are waiting for results of a
toxicology test before filing a formal charge.
Of course, one cannot forget Shia LaBeouf’s previous run-ins
with the law, which interestingly enough are somewhat charming. In November, he
was arrested after he refused to exit a Walgreens in Chicago, despite a bodyguard’s repeated
pleas.
He was inebriated but arresting officers found him to be
“very courteous and polite,” as they declared at the time. He was charged with
misdemeanor criminal trespassing but the charge was ultimately dropped as the
store refused to pursue the matter.
Later, appearing on David Letterman’s show, LaBeouf poked
fun at himself, saying, “Drinking and driving is one thing but drinking and
shopping…it’s just as bad.”
In February, he was once again in trouble, being cited for
smoking in a prohibited area in Burbank,
California. This charge was also
dismissed in the end. He paid a $500 fine.
He is currently recovering in the hospital and his mother,
Shayna LaBeouf, told the Daily News Monday, after visiting her son, that he was
“fine” and “in high spirits.”
A source told the paper production continues on
“Transformers 2,” with the scheduled release date of June 2009 remaining
“firm.”
Drinking has got Shia LaBeouf in
hot water before. It was only last month that a video was posted on YouTube,
showing a much younger and consistently drunk LaBeouf joking around with some
friends and using a homophobic slur.
He apologized at the time and said
he was “very embarrassed” for the video to have ever become public.
