Louis Tomlinson was arrested on Friday, March 3, after getting into a physical altercation with a paparazzo at Los Angeles International Airport.
According to TMZ, which was first to report the news, the former One Direction singer, 25, was in the baggage claim area with his girlfriend, Eleanor Calder, when he allegedly pulled a male photographer to the ground by his legs. The paparazzo reportedly fell down and struck his head and back on the floor.
TMZ reported that a female witness started filming Calder as she tried to leave. The two women then reportedly got into a fight. It is unclear if Calder was arrested when her beau was placed under a citizen’s arrest.
Tomlinson was arrested for simple battery and was booked at a nearby Los Angeles Police Department jail, according to TMZ. An LAPD spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that Tomlinson was later released on his own recognizance.
In a statement to Us Weekly, the “Just Hold On” singer’s lawyer Martin Singer said, “The paparazzi provoked and caused an altercation that occurred with Louis at the airport this morning. This is not the first or last time that a paparazzi has created an altercation with a celebrity. While the altercation was going on with the paparazzi, three other individuals were attacking his girlfriend during this incident and he came to her defense.”
Tomlinson, who has been dating Calder on and off since 2011, has yet to publicly address the incident.
