Kiefer Sutherland arrested after alleged altercation with LA driver
Kiefer Sutherland, the acclaimed actor from ‘Designated Survivor,’ was arrested after an incident with a rideshare driver in Los Angeles, police said.
Kiefer Sutherland has played a crime-fighter on TV, but in real life, the actor has had several brushes with the law.
Sutherland, who starred as counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer on the Emmy-winning series “24,” was arrested on Monday, Jan. 12, following an alleged physical altercation with a rideshare driver in Los Angeles.
The actor was released on $50,000 bail at around 11:30 a.m. local time on Monday, according to jail records reviewed by USA TODAY. Sutherland’s first court hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 2 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
The incident marks Sutherland’s first reported arrest by law enforcement in more than a decade, following a nearly 50-day stint in jail for a DUI conviction.
Here’s a look back at Sutherland’s history of legal troubles.
2007: Kiefer Sutherland sentenced to nearly 2 months in jail after DUI
Sutherland was arrested in West Los Angeles in September 2007 after the actor made an illegal U-turn and failed a field sobriety test. The actor, who already had a string of DUI charges dating back to 1989, was serving probation for a 2004 drunken driving arrest.
The actor pleaded no contest to the new DUI charge, his fourth overall, and served 48 days in jail for the offense.
“I’m very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited,” Sutherland said after entering his plea, according to People magazine. “And I’m deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and coworkers.”
2009: Kiefer Sutherland accused of assaulting top fashion designer
Two years after his DUI arrest, Sutherland was dealt misdemeanor charges over an alleged altercation involving Proenza Schouler designer Jack McCollough.
Sutherland surrendered to the New York Police Department in May 2009 after McCollough claimed the actor head-butted him in the nose at a hotel bar in SoHo. The fashion designer sustained a “small laceration” following the alleged attack.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office dropped the charges against Sutherland in July 2009 after conducting a full investigation, according to CNN. Several weeks after the alleged incident, Sutherland and McCollough issued a joint statement in which Sutherland apologized.
2026: Kiefer Sutherland arrested after alleged altercation with rideshare driver
Soon after midnight on Jan. 12, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a radio call regarding an assault involving a rideshare driver near Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, LAPD confirmed to USA TODAY in a statement on Jan. 13.
Sutherland is accused of entering the vehicle and physically assaulting the driver, police said. The actor also allegedly made criminal threats toward the victim.
LAPD said no one sustained injuries at the scene that required medical attention. USA TODAY reached out to Sutherland’s representatives for comment.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY