Two-time Oscar winning actor Sean Penn might be considered a talented, dramatic actor on film sets, but some Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys would argue that the man should control his temper off camera if he wants to avoid trouble with the law.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the 49-year-old actor was charged Friday with battery and vandalism for allegedly attacking a photographer. Mr. Penn is scheduled to be arraigned on March 22 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The misdemeanor charges stem from an incident last October in which Mr. Penn allegedly kicked a photographer and broke the photographer's camera outside a Brentwood Country Mart. Part of the incident was captured on film by TMZ; as shown above.
Mr. Penn faces up to 18 months in jail if convicted of both misdeameanor charges of battery and vandalism. This is not Mr. Penn's first run-in with the law; so he could indeed face a serious sentence if convicted.
In 1987, the actor was sentenced to 60 days in jail, according to the Los Angeles Times. This was after he punched a movie extra on the set of the police drama "Colors." Mr. Penn was on probation at the time. He was on probation after he was found guilty of punching a songwriter at a Silver Lake nightclub because he thought the man had kissed his wife at the time; the singer Madonna.
But perhaps the actor has a good reason for getting into multiple altercations with the paparazzi. The Daily Star reports Sean Penn shouting "Get out! Get the f*ck out!" to the photographer during the incident. It's questionable as to what the photographer did to make the celebrity so angry.
Related Resources:
- Battery Basics (FindLaw)
- Elements of a Battery (FindLaw)
- Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys Directory (FindLaw)
