LOS ANGELES – A man was jailed on suspicion of battery after rushing up and touching Brad Pitt on the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the movie Maleficent, witnesses and police said, though Pitt was apparently unhurt and soon resumed signing autographs.
Witnesses saw the man from the fan area jump over a barrier onto the red carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood and rush at Pitt, touching him briefly before security guards wrestled him back across the barrier.
The man was led away in handcuffs and arrested on suspicion of battery, said Los Angeles police spokeswoman Nuria Venegas, who did not know the suspect’s name. She could only confirm that he made contact with Pitt, and could not classify it any further.
Pitt kept greeting fans and walked into the theatre.
Pitt’s longtime partner Angelina Jolie stars in Maleficent, Disney’s new live action spin on its animated classic Sleeping Beauty.
Before the incident, Jolie told The Associated Press that the El Capitan is like a local theatre for herself, Pitt and their kids, who usually don’t attend her premieres but did Wednesday night.
“Well, oddly, we usually go to the El Capitan, that’s where we take the kids. That’s the closest theatre to us,” Jolie said. “This is the first time they were able to come to mommy’s premiere.”
The man got to Pitt despite security that was heavy for a movie premiere, with guards keeping a large gap between the stars and the crowd.
Email messages left for representatives for Pitt and Disney were not immediately returned.
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