In his first interview since the Mardi Gras incident<\/a> that led to his arrest for battery in New Orleans, actor Shia LaBeouf<\/a> suggested that he was provoked by gay men.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n During a disjointed conversation<\/a> with Andrew Callaghan of the independent journalism outfit Channel 5, LaBeouf said he rarely encounters \u201cweirdos\u201d in the Big Easy, but people have different \u201cmotivations\u201d during Mardi Gras.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be honest with you, big gay people are scary to me,\u201d said LaBeouf,<\/a> who is accused of shouting homophobic slurs while drunkenly assaulting two men outside of a bar in the French Quarter on Feb 17.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m, like, standing by myself and three gay dudes are next to me, touching my leg, I get scared,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. If that\u2019s homophobic, then I\u2019m that. Yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n LaBeouf also explained that he shouldn\u2019t have reacted in such a physical fashion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI am wrong for touching anyone. Ever. And that\u2019s the end of my statement on this whole shit,\u201d LaBeouf said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n During a Feb. 26 hearing, Orleans Parish Criminal Court Judge Simone Levine ordered LaBeouf to undergo mandatory drug and alcohol rehabilitation<\/a> as well as weekly drug tests. She also described him as a threat to the safety of NOLA and its LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis defendant does not take his alcohol addiction seriously,\u201d Levine said. \u201cThis court does not believe he understands the level of seriousness when it comes to these allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n During the interview, LaBeouf said he disagreed with Levine\u2019s assessment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I have a drinking problem. I think I have a different problem, and I\u2019m gonna address it. I think I have a small man complex,\u201d said the 5-foot-9 actor. \u201cSome kind of Napoleonic…. I don\u2019t know what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to court records, LaBeouf was arrested again<\/a> and charged with one additional count of simple battery on the same Saturday as the interview\u2019s release. It is unclear if the new charge was connected to the Feb. 17 brawl.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Watch LaBeouf\u2019s full sit-down with Channel 5 here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Shia](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/69a52688270000485d47271f.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale&format=webp)
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