Zac Efron’s Skid Row fight grows sketchier by the moment

Zac Efron

Zac Efron made an appearance in gossip circles yesterday thanks to a sketchy weekend situation. He’s been in and out of rehab (for cocaine) a few times and has clearly struggled with sobriety. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt as with any actress. Many of you said what I was really suspecting, which is that Zac was trying to score drugs.

To recap, Zac’s original story says he and his “bodyguard” were randomly driving through Skid Row when their car broke down. They were waiting for help when Zac dropped a bottle out the car window. A transient bloke felt threatened and punched Zac in the mouth. At least five people were involved in the “full-blown melee.” The police arrested no one because it was “mutual combat.

Hardly anyone believed that Zac would drive through Skid Row unless he was looking for drugs. Zac’s nameless “bodyguard” has stepped up to take the fall for Zac. He says Zac was the hero of the day and a life saver. I’m excerpting this story in full because the details are so outrageous. This is like Skid Row fanfiction:

Zac Efron was a hero who risked his own life to save the life of his “bodyguard” — so claims the bodyguard.

We spoke to the “bodyguard” who says he and Zac were “cruising” around downtown L.A. Sunday at 12:30 AM, when they suddenly ran out of gas and rolled to a stop at the bottom of a downtown L.A. off-ramp.

Later in our conversation, the man — we agreed not to use his name — said it wasn’t so much “cruising” as it was going to a restaurant in Little Tokyo in the downtown area.

TMZ broke the story … Zac told cops they had run out of gas and for some reason threw a bottle out of the car which shattered and angered some nearby transients. Zac claimed the transients attacked the man and as Zac went to help him a transient viciously struck Zac in the face.

He tells us … the transients actually went after him with “a spear” — like a shank — and stabbed him in the face, stomach and chest. He says Zac then got out of the car and swung a vodka bottle at the transients to fend off the attack. He says Zac actually thwarted the attack and saved his life.

So the man says the bottle Zac claimed to have thrown out the window wasn’t really thrown at all. He says Zac used it as a weapon during the attack.

BTW … we checked, and the “bodyguard” has a criminal record for drugs and violence.

[From TMZ]

This version of events is actually very exciting. Too bad it’s completely made up by a guy who won’t even put his name on the record. The story gets even sketchier with TMZ’s latest update. Their sources say Zac’s friends are “worried sick” about him and don’t believe the sushi story. They think it’s completely ridiculous: “Zac’s a loner. He goes out rarely and the idea of him driving for miles to go to some sushi restaurant in downtown L.A. after midnight is preposterous. ” TMZ also crushes the long-standing story of Zac’s rehab visits, which they say never happened. TMZ’s sources say that Zac only received private therapy. No rehab.

One more thing: Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Zac’s “bodyguard” was not bleeding AT ALL when they arrived on the scene. You know, despite being stabbed three times. The changing stories are only making things worse for Zac. Now we’re all wondering how he really broke his jaw last year.

Zac Efron

Photos courtesy of WENN

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40 Responses to “Zac Efron’s Skid Row fight grows sketchier by the moment”

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  1. atrain says:

    Skid Row in LA is near a lot of clubs, restaurants, etc. It’s totally plausible that they just ran out of gas. The fight story is where it gets weird.
    But I totally want to give him (and his beautiful face) the benefit of the doubt.

    • Mia4S says:

      TMZ notes the bodyguard is a convicted drug dealer and though he said he was stabbed multiple times he wasn’t bleeding. This ex child star (risk factor right there) needs to be called out, big time. Giving him the benefit of the doubt at this point could get him killed.

    • T.C. says:

      How do you “suddenly” run out of gas and just happen to be in skid row under an overpass? How many stars who go to those same restaurants end up driving through skid row? You get in your car, start it up if the gas is low the red light comes on. Any average car does that and I’m sure Zack’s car is fancier. If you are out of gas you stay at the fancy restaurant or drive to a safe place and call your emergency roadside service company to bring you gas.

      I ran out of gas once when I was 17 years old and not paying attention. Guess what? I flagged down some drivers to help me push it to a safe place them called AAA who came in 12 minutes with gas for the car.

      Zac was in skid row to get some drugs but he can’t admit that so comes up with an elaborate nonsensical story. That’s what addicts do.

      • Gen says:

        ^this. I would only add that being famous, he should be extra cautious about how much gas in is the vehicle. Any good bodyguard would make that part of the “protection” plan.

    • L says:

      I agree it’s getting to the overpass, running out of gas, and the fight part that’s weird. I mean I know the downtown area is gentrifying like crazy with tons of new bars/restaurants etc, but there are def still some sketchy areas/blocks. It’s not like there’s a magical line you cross and you know you’re in Skid Row and the entire area is a place to score drugs-like most big cities in tends to goes from fine to bad in a block. There are a couple of great sushi places in Little Tokyo that I’ve been to, so that sounds plausible to.

    • What clubs and restaurants??? There are parts of downtown LA that are gentrifying for sure (near the Staples Center, for example), but Skid Row is not anywhere near them. It is surrounded by the garment district and the flower mart — which are completely deserted at night. Efron would have had to go past deserted city block after city block to “run out of gas” down there. That is just one of many implausible parts of his story.

      He will have a hard time getting cast after this and the broken jaw/glass table incident. He is too much of an insurance risk. Too bad. There were rumors JJ Abrams saw him for “Star Wars.”

  2. aims says:

    This whole situation is shady. I believe he was looking for something and it went down, badly. He has no reason to be in that part of town unless he was looking for something no good.

  3. chicagogurl says:

    sad. i hope he doesnt end up another corey haim or worse a river phoenix.

    forgive my lack of celebrity drug knowledge but dont most celeb drug dealers make house calls? if he’s used wouldn’t he have a connect?

    • Kayla says:

      That’s what I was thinking! Why would he want to actually go and get the drugs himself?
      It’s really sad. He always seemed nice enough to me, hope he can get help.

    • Mia4S says:

      His people would able to cut a lot of his access to celeb drug dealers. Also if he’s trying to hide a problem and claim he’s clean it’s too likely he’d be found out going that route. Also some celeb drug dealers will actually back off someone they think has hit the brink. Not for kindness but, well, you’ll remember how quickly the cops arrested Philip Seymour Hoffman’s dealer? You don’t want to be the one holding the smoking gun so to speak.

      What a sad situation.

    • MrsBPitt says:

      Maybe he owes his “connected” drug dealers money and can’t pay…a coke addiction can make a rich person poor, and its not like his career is red hot, or he makes 10 million a picture…Or perhaps, he dosen’t want anyone in the movie biz to know he is still using by going to the same drug dealers that other Hollywood people use…this whole skid row story is just too sketchy…

    • Emily C. says:

      The more stable drug dealers are also usually wary of people they think are high-risk for an overdose. They don’t want someone to die from what they’re selling and then have the cops come after them.

  4. Chrissy says:

    Even when Zac first broke his jaw last fall no one believed his story of “slipping in a puddle of water”. Obviously he’s still in trouble and needs help. I hope he doesn’t become another Hollywood statistic..

  5. MrsBPitt says:

    Do rich people, who have a “bodyguard” driving them around…really run out of gas? You would think part of this dudes job, would be to fill up the gas tank…and if Zac is sober, why was there a vodka bottle in the car, at all?? Usually, when you go to rehab, even if its for just for drugs, they tell you not to drink alcohol…Sorry, not buying what they are selling…

  6. paola says:

    He seems such a nice kid.. hopefully he can find his way out and be nice and clean with a bright future. He has my support until he hooks up with Lindsay Lohan. After that.. he’s on his own.

  7. QQ says:

    Is like Zac is living in Bullshit Mountain or something

  8. Pinot grigio says:

    When I first heard this story, I immediately thought Zac was trolling for drugs. What celeb runs out of gas in skid row? . Plus if the story is true then Zac is a litter bug.

  9. Socks says:

    If he had a vodka bottle, that’s a relapse.
    Assuming they were drinking..

    • T.C. says:

      I’m sure there will be a new story from Zac’s people saying the Vodka bottle was left in a car by a “friend” that Zac gave a ride to last week. I’m sure some people will buy the story cause the can’t believe that a hot young White actor with Zac’s beautiful face can lie or be an addict trying to score drugs in skid row.

  10. Lucy2 says:

    At this point he’d be better served with honesty- admit to the problem, say this was a rock bottom wake up call, and go get help for real.

    • Reece says:

      I don’t think he’s hit bottom as yet if he’s still making up ridiculous stories.

      • Size Does Matter says:

        After everything I’ve seen my brother and sister do, I no longer believe in rock bottom when it comes to an addict. But I totally agree, as long as he’s lying, he’s using.

      • anon33 says:

        I agree, Size. I don’t thinks it’s rock bottom so much as just one day having a desire to have a different life. Sadly, some people never get that desire.

        Based on: my family who are almost entirely unrepetant alcoholics and several (now dead) heroin addicts that I knew.

      • lucy2 says:

        That’s quite possible, but I was thinking just more in terms of the PR of this situation. Rather than perpetuating this story that no one is buying and doing nothing but giving him terrible headlines, own up to the truth before it gets any worse.

  11. mena says:

    I never really followed this guy, but he seemed harmless enough. Seem to remember Lainey writing about him being really great to a kid at a homeless shelter in Vancouver once.

    The broken jaw. Now this. It’s not looking good. I hope he pulls it together.

  12. mom2two says:

    Honestly, the truth would work so much better then these goofy stories they are telling. I hope Zac can pull it together before it’s too late.

  13. Beep says:

    I think he’s secretly reenacting Bum-Fights as that is how he gets his jollies.

  14. huh says:

    A poster yesterday posted a blind from Wine&Sass that was clearly made out to be him..
    So sad.

  15. TheOriginalKitten says:

    This bums me out…I’ve always had a soft spot for Efron but this really worries me. It seems like he’s back to making bad decisions.

    I hope he gets help soon.

  16. Naye in VA says:

    This actually makes me sad. He’s been flying a bit under the radar, and I thought that rehab thing earlier was a good move, like someone who realized their own issues before they went off the rails…but yeesh he’s plummeting> I hope he gets some help soon because I really like him.

  17. Happy21 says:

    Ugh! I hate this! Especially because I find Zac so damned likeable. I just want him to be OK and end up with a good career. So far, it’s not happening and I don’t like it one single bit.

  18. Sam says:

    Man, somewhere, Vanessa Hudgens is breathing a big sigh of relief…

  19. Emily C. says:

    This kind of stuff happens to nearly every child star in America. There needs to be an investigation into Disney and all the other corporations who make bank on destroying these kids’ lives.

  20. Leslie says:

    That “bodyguard” is not very bright. The story he made up about being stabbed sounds like something out of a movie. According to the police, he was texting away when they arrived. No injuries. The thing is, now that Zac is a known drug user who’s been in rehab, every story that hits the news about him will be drug related. The tabloids will slant it that way. That’s just the way it works. I agree that his being near skid row is shady. Not a place a recovering addict wants to be, but, for a long time–maybe the rest of his life–he’s going to be living under this dark cloud of “he was scoring drugs” wherever he goes.

  21. aenflex says:

    You’d think with that much money you could find someone to buy your drugs for you. Have them delivered. Something.

  22. Ag says:

    “I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt as with any actress.” – that cracked me up.