The Oscars producer Will Packer has said that police officers were ready to arrest Will Smith after the actor slapped Chris Rock on stage. The altercation happened after Chris cracked a ‘joke’ about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s medical condition. Packer said he was with Chris when the police officers came to talk to him.
Packer told ABC Television, “They were saying, you know, this is battery.... They said we will go get him, we are prepared, we are prepared to get him right now, you can press charges, we can arrest him, you have - they were laying out the options. Chris was - he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, 'No, no, I'm fine.'"
He added, "And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said no. He said no.”
After the incident, the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) had issued a statement informing that Chris Rock had declined to file a report, adding, “If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Will Smith also won the award for ‘Best Actor’ at the 94th Academy Awards for his film King Richard. The Academy, on Wednesday, said that Smith had been asked to leave the ceremony after the incident with Chris but the actor had refused.
Some reports also claimed that Packer had asked Will Smith to remain at the venue. Packer has denied that he spoke to Smith, during his interview with ABC News.
Smith had issued a public apology to Chris after the awards night, on Instagram, “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
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