(Headline USA) A former Los Angeles district attorney said this week that prosecutors can and “should” press charges against actor Will Smith for assaulting comedian Chris Rock at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony.
“The [Los Angeles] city attorney could bring charges based upon the evidence without necessarily relying upon the victim,” Steve Cooley, who served as the Los Angeles County District Attorney from 2000 to 2012, told the New York Post.
During the awards ceremony, Smith walked on stage and hit Rock after the host made a joke about Smith’s wife’s hair. Rock declined to press charges, but Cooley said that doesn’t matter.
“The victim does not control whether or not a prosecutor should file charges,” Cooley noted.
“However, charges actually can and should be filed because the offense was against the state of California. It’s not Chris Rock versus Will Smith in a criminal matter,” he said.
“The LAPD and the city attorney should not close the door on what was an obvious criminal offense and is easily provable,” Cooley explained.
Smith could be charged with simple misdemeanor battery, he added.
Smith issued a public apology to Rock on Monday, acknowledging that his behavior was “out of line” and “wrong.”
“I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” he said.
However, the Academy Awards has vowed to launch a formal investigation into the incident, with the implication being that Smith could lose the Oscars award he won because he violated the organization’s code of conduct.
The Academy does not condone violence of any form.
Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022
