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Damage Control
In a town overrun with young stars behaving badly, Shia LaBeouf has appeared as something of a Hollywood golden boy, one of the industry's few bona fide megastars in the making. He's been a sought-after actor for almost half of his 22-year-old life and
a Steven Spielberg favorite, carefully groomed for stardom. But with his arrest Sunday in Los Angeles on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, LaBeouf's rising star earned its first significant blemish and cause for damage control. LaBeouf was arrested 3 a.m. in West Hollywood after his pickup collided with another vehicle, rolling the truck over. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Wolf said it was "immediately apparent" to officers on the scene that LaBeouf was intoxicated. With him was Isabel Lucas, an Australian actress who plays a supporting role in the "Transformers" sequel now filming, according to a source close to the movie's production company. She was uninjured, as was the driver of the other car. Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said that detectives have determined that the accident wasn't LaBeouf's fault and that the other driver apparently ran a red light. The most immediate effect may be the production schedule for the "Transformers" sequel. LeBeouf underwent surgery on his left hand and plans to return to work within a month, his publicist, Melissa Kates, said. LaBeouf has had brushes with the law before but they were relatively harmless incidents that only enhanced the perception of his playful edginess. A drunken confrontation with guards at a Walgreens in Chicago late last year led to misdemeanor criminal trespassing charges. The charge was dropped because the drug store didn't want to pursue the matter. In a lighthearted retelling of the incident to David Letterman on the "Late Show," LaBeouf said: "Drinking and driving is one thing, but drinking and shopping ... it's just as bad."
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