NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana: Actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested after being accused of hitting two men early on the morning of February 17 during Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, police said.

New Orleans police said in a statement that LaBeouf was charged with two counts of simple battery.

Police said officers were called near the French Quarter around 12:45 a.m. after Shia LaBeouf allegedly caused trouble and became increasingly aggressive inside.

An employee of the business premises tried to make LaBeouf leave, and once outside, police say he hit a man several times with his fists. Witnesses told police that LaBeouf first left the area, then returned and continued to behave aggressively. Police said several people tried to hold him back and then let him go, hoping he would leave.

The first man who was allegedly hit told officers that LaBeouf struck him again. Another man said LaBeouf also punched him in the nose. Police said he was eventually held down until officers arrived.

LaBeouf was taken to a hospital for injuries that were not described. After he was released from the hospital, he was arrested and taken into police custody. Court and jail records did not list a lawyer for him, and his publicists did not immediately respond to emails.

LaBeouf has had other legal problems before. In early 2017, he was arrested in New York for public drunkenness and disorderly behavior, which was recorded on a livestream video. He was later ordered by the court to attend rehabilitation.

That same summer, he was arrested again in Georgia for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and obstruction while filming the movie The Peanut Butter Falcon. He was given probation. In 2020, he was also charged in Los Angeles with minor battery and petty theft.

In 2020, English singer and actor FKA Twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Barnett, filed a lawsuit accusing LaBeouf of physical and emotional abuse during their relationship. The case was settled in July. Barnett said he made her feel afraid and humiliated, once slammed her into a car, tried to strangle her, and knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease.

LaBeouf later apologized publicly after the lawsuit was filed, but denied the accusations in a 2021 legal response, saying he was not responsible for any injuries or damages Barnett claimed.

Now 39, LaBeouf first became famous as a child actor on the Disney Channel show Even Stevens and continued acting as an adult. He is best known for starring in the films Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

LaBeouf has a daughter, born in 2022, with actor Mia Goth.