Ever since his DUI arrest in 2008, it seems like Shia LaBeouf has been on a downward spiral. It’s been so bad lately that Shia’s latest arrest, for public intoxication in Austin, Texas, seems rather tame by his standards. It’s hard to recap all of Shia’s many issues, but his last known incident seems to have been about three months ago, in Germany, when Shia apparently was involved in a violent fight with his then-girlfriend, Mia Goth, leaving her with a black eye. Shia and Mia likely broke at some point afterwards (good for her) and Shia was seen out with another woman a few weeks later. Then, last month, Shia admitted that he was suicidal following a role in which he played a soldier with PTSD. Shia is a hardcore method actor, although he’s had issues with mental health which seem to have made him particularly vulnerable.
According to TMZ, Shia and a female companion (not the woman we saw him with post Mia) were in Austin for the Austin City Limits music festival. The two were denied entry to a bar for being overserved already. Then, Shia acted bizarrely enough in front of cops to get arrested. TMZ has video and photos of Shia getting arrested and he looks practically stoic. If he was behaving oddly he seems to have calmed down enough to accept his punishment and not resist arrest. Here’s TMZ’s account of the night in question:
Shia LaBeouf was arrested in Austin, Texas Thursday … and witnesses say the actor was blitzed, out of control and disobeyed police.
Shia was taken to the Travis County Jail and booked for misdemeanor public intoxication.
It happened at around 7:45 PM CT outside a bar on 6th Street. A witness says Shia was either extremely drunk or high on drugs when he ran down the street and jaywalked in front of police. They warned him not to do it but he continued, acting bizarrely.
Cops subdued him and put him in cuffs.
Another witness tells us, before the arrest Shia and a woman tried walking into a bar but they were denied because they were too intoxicated. Shia began swearing up a storm and tried forcing himself into the bar but was blocked. Shia and the woman left and began walking.
TMZ’s video shows an entire line of people recording Shia on their cellphones and taking pictures. Shia just kind of looks down and at one points seems to be saying something to police, and he looks cooperative. Given all of Shia’s issues, including his performance art piece and his arrest last year for disrupting a live performance on Broadway, I hope this is the extent of his self destructive behavior. He’s possibly so wasted he’s not fully aware of what he’s doing.
Shia tweeted this message yesterday following his release from jail. Of course it’s not an original thought. Shia pretty much plagiarizes everything.
I talk, just not to you
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) October 11, 2015
He’s such a mess. It’s sad. I hope he gets help.
It’s truly, truly sad at this point. I cringed at the idea of all those people recording him on their phones while he was getting arrested. It’s pitiful, and even though he’s obviously a mess, it just seems wrong for all those people to be turning his serious issues into a spectator sport. Hurts my heart.
Some wanted to send the video to TMZ or other media outlets for a payout. Most of the others wanted something to post on Facebook or Twitter. These days it is all about getting the most “likes” or followers on social media. Some people are just pathetic
Newwester, these social media hyenas, doing it for the vine. Ugh.
Second the ugh.
I know, it is really heartbreaking, kicking a guy when he’s down. Social media is such a scourge in so many ways.
What, no Charlie? He was thrown out a bar because he became violent. I love that they put him in a head lock and took him out side. Then Charlie shakes the bouncers hand. Always keeping it classy Chuck.
I live in Austin and the area where he got arrested is referred to as “Dirty 6th”.. Pretty much just huge bars where people go to get as drunk as possible. If you get arrested for being intoxicated there, you had to be in a BAD, bad way
I am from Austin and wa showing to say the exact same thing.
was that area of 6th not blocked off? Find it funny they mentioned jaywalking when for many of the events they have the roads blocked from traffic
They don’t usually close the street until later in the evening…9 or so?
I’m sure if he was that drunk before 8pm & trying to cross the street/dart in traffic would be really hard.
ACL has been in town and traffic, although bad, is worse with people who don’t know the city. I mentioned below that dirty 6th street, where he was arrested, is one of the most touristy spots in the city.
I’m sure the police were more so warning him for his safety and he probably was flagrant and disobedient in a highly patrolled area.
Police here have a tough job covering festival events in the city. It brings close to 100,000 or more people a weekend.
OK. It’s been so long since I went to 6th street (like over 10 years) and even when I did I didn’t enjoy it. The worst was going there during mardi gras
I was going to post similar. You’ve got to be really drunk to be arrested for public into there. Very sad, I hope he gets some much needed help.
There is nothing new under the Sun.
If they won’t let you into a bar in TEXAS because you’re too drunk, seek help. Serious help. No offense to the lovely Texans, but isn’t it the official motto of Texas to do everything as big as possible?
Yes. They must be trying to compensate for something.
*clears throat* As a native Texan, yes, the saying goes as such. The bigger the better. However, not all Texans feel the need for “big things/big lifestyle”. Especially people in Austin who are more hippy and modest than lets say the Dallas area where they tend to be more “ambitious” with their needs and wants.
If he’s not careful, he’ll go the route of Randy Quaid.
Tough to watch. It’s hard to imagine what is going to happen to him.
welp, we all know what would’ve happened if he was blaaaaaaack!
ETA: given that he, you know, “disobeyed” cops. Since following cop orders is the cure for police brutality.
Also, as a person from Austin….
The area he was in…is also a highly touristy area. Most locals do NOT frequent East 6th, aka Dirty 6th street.
Like the other commenter mentioned, it’s gotta take a lot to get arrested there for being intoxicated. It’s almost like Bourbon Street in NOLA.
Also, I’m guessing the people who were also taking video were people from out of town who are here for ACL.
Real Austin locals are way more chill and relaxed. :/ my two cents.
That’s my sense of it. My brother lived there last year. Four days after he moved, he posted a FB pic of him riding on the back of a moving firetruck dressed like a mulleted redneck with an American flag cape. Two seconds later, he posted a pic of him getting dressed down by cops. Three minutes after that, he’s in a thousand moronic group selfies.
Most of comments I’ve read here and other sites was mostly sympathetic.
I personally just think he’s just a pure a##hole. We meet them all the time. They’re everywhere: work, neighborhood, market, and or a family. We all have a##hole family members. The only difference is Shia has a bigger income.
And better lawyers.
If people aren’t willing to be honest with him and start telling him he’s acting like a sh*t then they should at least hold an intervention on him if they’re claiming they care. He is long past the need for sympathy (didn’t he and friend go round to somone’s house to hold a knife on them while inebriated?). What to people want, for him to finally end up killing someone while drunk?
The indicators are majorly there. He’s a serious endangerment and needs to stop before he irreversibly harms himself or others.
And, no, I don’t feel sorry for him. He’s an overprivileged twat who on more than one occasion assaulted and threatened people.
It must have been bad for Austin cops to pick him up. I was once hit by a drunk driver in downtown Austin (7th street? 5th street? Like a year and a half ago and the cops wouldn’t even come out. I told them point blank this guy that hit me is drunk and they wouldn’t come out to the scene. They told us just to trade insurance and move on. I’m Texan so I won’t bash the idiocy but I lost all faith after that. I know Austin is a party town but if we had been back in San Antonio a police officer would have been out there in 10 minutes. In Austin they couldn’t care less. Besides everyone is drunk downtown. All the college kids get drunk on the 6th street and the 30 year olds get drunk on 4th. Entire downtown is just a big party.
Such a great actor, such a sad human being.