Featured Image Credit: Alamy/ABC7
Topics: Chris Rock, Will Smith, Oscars, Celebrity
Hannah Smith
A man was forcefully arrested by police after being kicked out of Chris Rock's first show following the Oscars controversy.
Footage filmed outside the Wilbur Theatre in Boston showed a man struggling with officers before being maced, tackled to the ground and handcuffed.
The man had been in the audience at Rock's stand-up show, when he interrupted the performance and was thrown out by a group of security guards, before being arrested by Boston police officers.
A Boston Police Department spokesperson confirmed to UNILAD that two attendees at the show were removed after refusing to follow face mask requirements in place at the venue. One of the men 'became increasingly agitated, yelling loudly, disrupting the show, and physically assaultive towards the officer and theatre staff', the spokesperson said.
The suspect, identified by police as Kaleb Anthony Herd, 25, from Quincy, MA, continued to attempt to assault officers once outside the venue, leading one officer to deploy pepper spray while placing him under arrest.
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Herd is to be charged with Trespassing, Disorderly Conduct, Assault and Battery on a Police Officer Resisting Arrest, and Assault and Battery.
Rock's highly anticipated first public appearance following Sunday's shocking incident saw the comedian make a number of veiled references to what had happened, thought he did not explicitly address the situation or mention Smith by name.
"Sooooo, how was your weekend?" he asked the crowd upon taking to the stage to a standing ovation.
"I don't have a bunch of s*** to say about that, so if you came here for that..." he continued, before adding: "I'm still processing what happened, so at some point I'll talk about that s***. It'll be serious. It'll be funny, but right now I'm going to tell some jokes."
Later in the evening, Rock denied reports that he and Smith had reconciled following the drama, telling the audience: "I haven't talked to anyone, despite what you heard."
Rock has declined to press charges against Smith, who is currently under investigation pending 'disciplinary proceedings' by the Academy for his actions.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, 30 March, the Academy confirmed Smith was asked to leave the awards show following his attack on Rock, but refused, and ultimately returned to the stage just minutes later to receive his Best Actor award to a standing ovation from the audience.
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