Shia LaBeouf kept it decidedly brief when speaking out for the first time following his New Orleans arrest.
As previously reported, a rep for the New Orleans Police Department told Complex the actor, whose recent films include David Mamet’s Henry Johnson and the Cannes-premiered documentary Slauson Rec, was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday (Feb. 17) following an alleged physical altercation.
The rep said that officers first responded to the 1400 block of Royal Street on a simple battery call involving two alleged victims. LaBeouf, the rep said, had been accused of “causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive,” at one point allegedly striking an unidentified individual with “closed fists.”
The Transformers and Indiana Jones franchises alum was ultimately charged with two counts of simple battery following his release from a local hospital, where he received treatment for unspecified injuries.
Early Wednesday (Feb. 18), LaBeouf, 39, shared a timely message to social media, writing, simply, “Free me” in an X post.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the actor, who previously collaborated with Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner on a series of performance art projects including #IAMSORRY and #ALLMYMOVIES, was released on his own recognizance on Tuesday. Following an initial hearing that day, he’s set to be back in court next month.
LaBeouf has spoken about his sobriety struggles in the past, including in a 2025 THR interview alongside Mamet during which he credited several fellow actors—including Sean Penn and Mel Gibson—with helping him along the way. Later that same year, LaBeouf and FKA twigs were revealed to have settled a lawsuit initially filed by the latter in 2020. In the suit, LaBeouf was accused of abuse.
“While the details of the settlement will remain private, we wish each other personal happiness, professional success, and peace in the future,” reads a joint statement shared on behalf of both parties in July.