Crowe arrested for using telephone…as a weapon

Jun 06, 2005 by Ian Evans

Russell Crowe, who plays a boxer in his latest film, was charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a telephone) on Monday. The Cinderella Man star’s arrest came after he was alleged to have thrown a telephone at an employee of the Mercer Hotel in New York. According to the complaint, the phone hit the employee “in the face and causing a laceration and substantial pain.”

According to Crowe’s lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt, “This arose because he was trying to get his wife on the phone in Australia. He was in his room. He couldn’t get a line and there was a disagreement.” Crowe’s publicist, Robin Baum, told Extra that “after asking the front desk several times to replace a faulty phone in his room — and getting only attitude from the clerk on duty — Crowe brought the phone down to the front desk in an effort to address the situation in person. Words were exchanged and Crowe wound up throwing the phone against the wall. He regrets that he lost his temper, but at no time did he assault anyone or touch any hotel employee.”