Woody Harrelson was involved in several altercations with a photographer at La Guardia airport on Wednesday night. TMZ has the video. (The current video on TMZ is shorter than the one posted yesterday, which showed much more footage of the photographer heckling Woody and continuing to follow him after he was attacked.) You can see Harrelson’s wife Laurie Louie in some shots but she tries to stay away from the scene as her husband gets enraged.
Harrelson never should have become physical with the guy and violence is never justified unless it’s self defense, but you can see as the scene unfolds how Harrelson got so worked up. The photographer heckles him repeatedly, shouting his name over and over and asking asinine questions about marijuana use and if he’s wearing hemp pants. (Again – it’s hard to see this from the current video, but the one yesterday made the scenario much clearer, showing the photographer following Woody after at least two separate altercations and continuing to shout at him.) Woody first grabs the photographer’s camera, throws it to the ground and runs away with it, coming back to get in a scuffle with him. The guy continues to follow him and shout his name, saying “Woody, you assaulted me, Woody, Woody” etc. and Harrelson eventually comes back and lashes out at him again. The hapless photographer then continues to follow Woody, talking about how he was assaulted and how he was punched in the eye. Woody eventually finds his car in the parking lot and drives away.
There is no excuse for resorting to violence. That said, why did the guy follow Woody after the first incident and again after the second incident? He should have backed off, filed a complaint about his broken equipment and talked to the police. As it is, it really looks like he was deliberately provoking him. This doesn’t mean he “asked for it” by any means just that he wasn’t too wise about how to deal with the situation. Maybe it all worked out like he was hoping, though. His footage was worth a lot more money and he’ll probably sue Harrelson for millions. The photographer has filed a complaint with the Port Authority police, which is probably the first step toward a civil lawsuit. Ca Ching!
This is not Woody’s first paparazzi attack. In 2006, he choked a photographer out in LA, and was sued for it in a case that is still pending.
Woody clearly has some anger issues, and it’s probably going to deservedly cost him at least tens of thousands in settlement money.
Woody Harrelson is shown at the airport in Berlin on 2/7/09. Credit: WENN.com
The paps did deserve it! If there going to start something they need to deal with what consequence it brings. If they try and get a rise out of someone and that person delivers than they should just man up and take it.
Whaaaa? Woody has some anger issues? No one deserves to be provoked like this, the pap deserved everything he got and a lot more. This is way out of line and condeming Woody for it is just ridiculous.
I’m on Woody’s side!
Please, as a New York City teacher I’ve been provoked in far worse ways than this (did the pap menace you with a knife, Woody, as I once was in school?) Unless he acted in self-defense, he was wrong. You deal with it in other ways. A little taunting is NOTHING. The man is paid millions to do what he does. He’s in the public eye and he needs to develop some self-control. He wouldn’t make it one day as a teacher if assault and battery is his chosen mode of response. I’ve got more balls than he does and I’m a girl.
Yes, but you’re not hassled on a daily basis by the paps…(as you said it was ONCE in school). The celebrities are hounded, pursued, taunted and after a while that’s got to wear really thin. Good on Woody.
“Clearly has anger issues”? What? Noone should be harrassed like that, ever.
Ditto Geronimo 1105
*110%
Edit feature come back!
Bodhi, I preferred it when you were agreeing with me 1105%. 🙂
J Ferber – Woody does not court the media. If he were some egotistic attention-seeking media whore, then yes, your point might have some vague validity (although only vague – no one deserves to be antagonised like this, I don’t care what they do for a living or how much they make.) TMZ are the lowest of the low.
Doesn’t that mean they need to put him down? WHY DIDN’T THEY JUST GET HIM A LEASH! WHY?!
Nope, paps are bottom-feeding scum who deserve everything they get. Punched, choked, knocked down and curb-stomped.
Send the case to Judge Judy!!
Hieronymus Grex: Sure are pretty down on the paps…especially since without them sites like this wouldn’t exist.
Leandra, As a new teacher in a rough school, you ARE hassled every day. I spoke of a knife ONCE, but there was also the gun, the razor blade, the broken glass, the rape/slit your throat threats, etc. And Geronimo, it doesn’t matter if Woody courts the media or not. He’s a movie star (or was one)and as such he is a media target. Naturally he doesn’t deserve harassment (who does?) but from my view, this was tame and most certainly did NOT require physical violence on Woody’s part. God, for all the people on this site who were traumatized on Woody’s behalf and
felt he was justified, I say you have NO IDEA what real harassment/danger are. I invite you into the New York City schools for ONE DAY (I’m talking high school in a rough neighborhood) and then I’d like to hear your opinions of Woody’s “mistreatment.” Good lord.
TMZ.com are a bunch of profit-greedy assholes. Don’t ever kid yourself about TMZ.com’s motive: MONEY. Selling advertising; that’s all they care about. Harvey Levin, TMZ’s boss — notice his last name? Hint, hint??
Anyway, an airport is private property. PRIVATE. That means they own the light photons emanating from the lights inside the airport, photons needed by photographers. If Levin’s TMZ losers wanted a photo, they had to ask La Guardia for permission to use their light photons. Did they? I doubt it.
Because La Guardia would then have asked Mr. Harrelson if it was ok and he would have said “NO!!”.
Mr. Harrelson has every right to his full privacy.
… and where does the TMZ.com photographer get off calling Mr. Harrelson by his first name? Were they introduced? Do they know each other personally? I doubt it.
Where I come from, you treat people with RESPECT. If you do not know someone, you call him “MR.”, you do not take the presumptuous position of thinking you are on parr with them, an equal to them, thinking you can use their first name.
If Mr. Harrelson introduces himself and asks to be referred to as “Woody”, fine. Otherwise, TMZ.com photographer, it’s “Mr. Harrelson” to you, bub.
TMZ goes after another “Princess Diana kill” and couldn’t take a little pushing around. I’m surprised the a$hole didn’t get the camera shoved up his a$s.
They provoked him because they knew it would turn into something. That said, he certainly didn’t have to become violent, and he could’ve walked away. He fed right into their plans. j. ferber is right, and the majority of the public would’ve just kept right on walking and trying to ignore, or at least deal with it civilly.
Harrelson’s father is in jail for murder, isn’t he? The apple doesn’t always fall far from the tree…
Sure are pretty down on the paps…especially since without them sites like this wouldn’t exist.,/i>
If it wasn’t for the fact I was educated well enough to be able to read a book without needing pictures in it, I’d agree with that.
Sounds like a great way to make some extra cash.
Hell, I might just go down there & see if I can get him to him me too.
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