Russell Brand Turns Himself in After Warrant is Issued
British funnyman and actor Russell Brand turned himself in Thursday afternoon to New Orleans police. An arrest warrant was issued for him on a misdemeanor charge of simple criminal damage to property valued at $700, according to police.
Brand quickly posted bond, which had been set at $5,000, and was released from jail Thursday afternoon, said police spokesman Frank Robertson.
Police had issued the warrant on earlier Thursday for Brand, who is in New Orleans filming a new movie.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The altercation was first reported by TMZ Monday. Fellow paparazzi saw Brand approach photographer Timothy Jackson after Brand saw him taking pictures of him from his car with his iPhone.
Brand was caught on camera running to the car, snatching the iPhone and then throwing the phone through the window of a business which coincidently happened to be a law office.
The photographer filed a police report over the incident, which happened on Monday, TMZ reported.
According to TMZ, Jackson filed charges for "criminal damages" against Brand. Brand has since come out and offered to pay for the window, but did not mention the iPhone.
Brand took to Twitter to explain his actions and stated that he was defending the legacy of Steve Jobs. "Since Steve Jobs died I cannot bear to see anyone use an iPhone irreverently, what I did was a tribute to his memory," Brand joked.
Brand and pop star Katy Perry finalized their high-profile divorce earlier this year, ending a marriage that lasted just over a year.
The star of such films as "Arthur" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" has made headlines before for his erratic behavior.
Last year, he was deported from Japan over his criminal history when he was trying to visit Perry on her concert tour in the country. In 2010, he was arrested for allegedly attacking paparazzi at a Los Angeles airport.
