Actor Jonathan Majors arrested for assault, his spokesperson denies wrongdoing
Actor Jonathan Majors was arrested Saturday in New York following an alleged domestic violence incident, police said.
New York City police said the "Creed III" actor was arrested when officers responded to a 911 call shortly after 11:00 a.m. for an alleged domestic dispute at an apartment in the city's Chelsea neighborhood.
A 30-year-old woman told police she had been assaulted. Officers placed Majors, 33, into custody without incident, the NYPD said.
The woman claimed Majors struck "her about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear," a criminal complaint filed in the incident alleges.
She also alleged Majors grabbed her hand and put his hands on her neck, causing swelling, bruising and substantial pain to her neck and hand.
Majors' attorney denied the allegations, saying the evidence would prove the actor is innocent.
"Jonathan Majors is completely innocent ... We are quickly gathering and presenting evidence to the District Attorney with the expectation that all charges will be dropped imminently," Priya Chaudhry, Majors' attorney, said in a statement Sunday.
Chaudhry said the evidence includes video footage from the vehicle where the alleged assault occurred, witness testimony from the driver and others who both saw and heard the alleged incident, "and most importantly, two written statements from the woman recanting these allegations."
"The NYPD is required to make an arrest in these situations, and this is the only reason Mr. Majors was arrested. We expect these charges to be dropped soon," Chaudhry's statement said.
Police officers initially responded to a 911 call Majors made himself, purportedly over concerns about his girlfriend, whom he lives with in a penthouse apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood, police sources told ABC News.
The girlfriend, whose name was not released, told officers she and Majors were in a taxi on their way home from a bar in Brooklyn when she alleged he physically attacked her, the sources said.
Majors was arrested when the patrol officers noticed marks on the woman's body, according to the sources.
The woman was taken to a local hospital and treated, according to police.
In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for Majors denied any wrongdoing by the actor.
"He has done nothing wrong. We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up," the spokesperson said.
Majors was charged with two misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault, second-degree aggravated harassment, second-degree harassment and third-degree attempted assault.
Majors appeared briefly in court where a judge released him on his own recognizance. The next court date is May 8.
Majors was nominated for an Emmy in 2021 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in HBO's "Lovecraft Country." He most recently appeared in "Creed III" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
Repercussions over the up-and-coming movie actor's arrest have already started. The U.S. Army Enterprise Marketing Office announced Sunday that it is pulling two advertisements Majors appears in as part of the army's "Be All You Can Be" recruitment campaign,
"The U.S. Army is aware of the arrest of Jonathan Majors and we are deeply concerned by the allegations surrounding his arrest," the Army Enterprise Marketing Office said in a statement. "We recently released two ads in which Mr. Majors appears. While Mr. Majors is innocent until proven guilty, prudence dictates that we pull our ads until the investigation into these allegations is complete."
Laura DeFrancisco of the Army Enterprise Marketing Office told ABC News the new "Be All You Can Be" national campaign is multifaceted and that the ads featuring Majors are only one piece of the campaign. DeFrncisco said the remainder of the campaign will continue nationwide, including ads planned for the upcoming Final Four of the NCAA March Madness men's college basketball tournament.
ABC News' Matt Seyler contributed to this report.
