Shia LaBeouf was ordered to take a drug test on the spot and to return to rehab after the Holes actor was arrested earlier this month on two counts of simple battery during Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans.
The 39-year-old avoided jail time by agreeing to seek treatment and bailing out on a $100,000 bond on Thursday. He also agreed to submit to weekly drug testing. LaBeouf was arrested after “causing a disturbance” and getting increasingly “aggressive” before he struck two people during a scuffle outside a bar near the French Quarter, according to law enforcement. A police report claimed LaBeouf shouted homophobic slurs at the people he was fighting with.
Orleans Parish Criminal Court Judge Simone Levine chastised a somber LaBeouf from the bench, according to the Associated Press, saying he didn’t seem like he was taking “his alcohol addiction seriously” and expressed doubt he could “handle his alcohol.” Levine further denied LaBeouf’s request to travel to Rome in March for “religious observations,” which included his father’s baptism.
“This court does not believe he understands the level of seriousness when it comes to these allegations,” Levine said, adding that LaBeouf’s actions were a cause of concern regarding “the safety of this larger community, especially relative to a marginalized [LBGTQ+] community that has gone through so much terror.”
LaBeouf has not been formally arraigned on the charges. Sarah Chervinsky, his local criminal defense attorney, pushed back on the judge’s order of rehab and his $100,000 bond, saying it wasn’t a crime to be drunk during Mardi Gras, according to local reports. Chervinsky said her client’s drug test on Thursday showed no evidence of illegal substances in his system. (Rolling Stone has reached out to Chervinsky for further comment.)
Over Mardi Gras weekend, several videos posted to social media show a seemingly intoxicated LaBeouf partying on the streets of New Orleans, including the incident that landed him in jail. After his release, LaBeouf was seen drinking a beer and posing with fans while watching the rowdy festivities.
Months before LaBeouf’s arrest, his increasingly erratic behavior sparked concern on the set of his upcoming movie, The Rooster Prince, production sources for the film previously told Rolling Stone. “He was completely wild,” says one production member who worked on the Oklahoma film set last November. “I don’t think he’s stable. I don’t know that he’s been stable for a while.”
LaBeouf has been previously vocal about his purported sobriety, disclosing in 2020 that he was in therapy and a 12-step program after FKA Twigs accused him of physical, emotional, and mental abuse during their relationship. As recently as last March, he purported to be sober and credited actors like Mel Gibson and Sean Penn for rescuing him.
Michaela Coel in ‘The Christophers.’Claudette Barius/NEON