Whoa, who knew Emile Hirsch was such a raging asshole? I mean, who knew much of anything about Emile Hirsch, I know, but this violent streak sorta came out of nowhere. The Into the Wild actor was charged with third degree felony assault after an incident at the Sundance Film Festival last month in Utah in which he got way too drunk, started harassing a female Paramount film exec and eventually attacked her rather severely. He faces up to 5 years in prison.
Here’s the scoop from TMZ:
Law enforcement tells us … around 3:52 AM on January 25th, cops responded to an assault call at Tao nightclub in Park City.
According to police, “Hirsch appeared intoxicated and asked [movie exec Daniele Bernfeld] why she looked ‘so tough’ and said she was a ‘rich kid’ who should not be at Sundance.”
Bernfeld told police … she moved away from Hirsch to go sit with a friend at a table — and moments later, Hirsch came up from behind her and “put her in a chokehold.”
Then, Bernfeld claims Hirsch “pulled her across the table and onto the floor” and landed on top of her.
While on top, he allegedly wrapped his hands around her neck and began to choke her. She said she felt as though “the front and back of her throat were touching and she remembers things going dark.”
Bernfeld says 2 bystanders eventually pulled Hirsch off of her.
When cops arrived, they spoke with Hirsch who claimed he was in a “verbal confrontation” with Bernfeld and admitted to having 3 or 4 drinks that night. Cops say he appeared wasted — glossy eyes, slurred speech, poor balance, etc.
When cops spoke with Bernfeld, they noticed redness on her neck and upper chest — which appeared to corroborate her story.
Apparently Hirsch’s lawyer has since issued a statement on the allegations, but his defense is what you’d expect from such a violent dickhead:
Hirsch’s spokesperson, Robert Offer, tells TMZ, “Emile consumed an enormous amount of alcohol on the evening in question and he has no memory of what happened.” Law enforcement confirms Emile and the witnesses were highly intoxicated and Emile has been cooperative.
Offer adds, “Emile takes these allegations very seriously, and is devastated that any of this has occurred. A few days after the incident, Emile sought help and checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation facility, where he remains today, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
Send him down, please and thanks. Being a drunk doesn’t give you the right to harass other people and then attack them for not rising to your bullshit. Get out of here.