Los Angeles Police Department was closer to arresting Will Smith for battery at the Oscars, says producer Will Packer.
In his upcoming interview with Good Morning America, Packer claims Chris Rock was approached by the cops right after the altercation to know if he would like to press charges.
“We will go get him, we are prepared to get him right now,” the cops said to Rock, Packer recalled. “You can press charges. We can arrest him.”
Packer claimed Rock instantly denied having Will removed from the audience and was dismissive when they offered arrest.
“They were laying out the options, and as they were talking, Chris was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, “No, I’m fine.” He was like, “No, no, no,”‘ the producer said.
Upon Rock’s insistence, the police stepped back bur offered “if the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Earlier, on Monday evening, Smith, apologised to Rock for slapping him.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote. “Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
“I would like to publicly apologise 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,” he continued, which was the first time the Oscar winner directly apologised to the man he hit. “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”