(FreedomBeacon.com)- The Los Angeles Police Department intended to charge actor Will Smith for battery when he attacked comedian Chris Rock during the Sunday night awards event. The Oscars producer Will Packer said police were on the scene and ready to arrest Smith.
Rock made it plain that he was not interested in initiating legal action.
In an interview with World News Tonight, Packer said that the police were telling Chris Rock that what happened to him was a battery. That was how they kept describing it. The police said they were prepared to go and get Smith and that Rock could press charges.
Rock’s alternatives were laid out to him by the cops, who made it clear that they considered him the victim.
Packer said, “Chris was… he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, ‘I’m fine. No, no, no. I’m fine, even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’”
The police asked Rock a final time whether or not he wanted them to take any action against Smith, and Rock said, “No.”
Smith slapped Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about his wife’s hair loss, alluding to the Demi Moore film “G.I. Jane” — Smith apologized and said that he had responded emotionally due to Jada Pinkett-continuing Smith’s fight with alopecia.
The actor was permitted to stay for the remainder of the evening; a move met with criticism of the academy. There have been contradictory stories about whether he was asked to leave after slapping Rock, but the fact is he remained. Ironically, Smith earned a standing ovation when he was named best actor for his performance in “King Richard.”
Rock addressed the event briefly at a Wednesday evening stand-up act in Boston.
The Daily Wire reported that comedian Chris Rock performed his first comedy concert after being smacked by actor Will Smith at the Academy Awards.
“After opening with a loaded question — “How was your weekend?” — Rock told the crowd at his sold-out show in Boston that he was “still processing” what had happened.”
