Wendell Pierce Arrested: ‘The Wire’ And ‘Confirmation’ Star Attacks Bernie Sanders Supporter

Wendell Pierce has been arrested after allegedly attacking a Bernie Sanders supporter, writes TMZ, who first reported the incident. Pierce, who famously starred at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in Confirmation as well as appearing in acclaimed series The Wire, was arrested early Saturday morning after an alleged altercation with a woman and her boyfriend at the Loews Hotel in Atlanta.

TMZ writes that the trouble started when Pierce, 52, started talking to the couple at 3.30 a.m. at the luxury hotel. Reports state that Wendell “got upset when the woman declared her support for Bernie.” According to a source, Wendell allegedly then “became enraged, pushed the boyfriend and then went after his girlfriend…grabbing her hair and smacking her in the head.”

The Atlanta police arrived and Pierce was “arrested and booked for battery” after the couple called “hotel security, who then called cops.” So far, there has been no word from the actor’s rep on Pierce’s arrest, who “posted $1,000 bond and was released,” according to TMZ. The identity of the woman who was allegedly attacked, and that of her boyfriend, remains unknown.

Wendell Pierce was in Atlanta to film his latest project, One Last Thing, with Jurnee Smollett-Bell. The movie, in which Pierce plays a dentist who finds out he has an adult daughter, began filming in the city on 20 April, according to Variety. It is not yet known if Pierce is staying at the Loews Hotel during his time in Atlanta.

The actor is probably best known for his role as Detective William “Bunk” Moreland in the hit HBO series The Wire, which ran for five seasons. Since the show ended in 2008, Pierce has gone on to further stardom both on television and radio. He played trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme, which told the story of residents of the Treme area of New Orleans as they reconstruct their lives after Hurricane Katrina.

Pierce also appeared in the recent production of Grease: Live which aired on Fox. He stayed with HBO to make Confirmation earlier this year, in which he costarred with Kerry Washington. Pierce has also begun philanthropic projects in his native New Orleans. He owns a chain of stores bring fresh food into the Ninth Ward and is building new homes for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina in Pontchartrain Park, the neighborhood where he grew up.

Pierce is actively involved in Democratic Party politics and has tweeted that he is a supporter of Hillary Clinton, but has no apparent dislike of Sanders supporters.

@EdwardChelednik Hillary Clinton

— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) November 22, 2015

Wendell even posted “I appreciate and share Sen. Sanders beliefs,” according to the Daily Mail. These are hardly the words of a man who is liable to beat up followers of the senator.

@DMoneyYall Campaigning is inspirational but I want specifics. I appreciate and share Sen. Sanders beliefs.

— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) February 11, 2016

Pierce has been involved in Democratic politics for years. He attended the 2012 National Democratic Convention and was one of the biggest fundraisers for President Obama’s second campaign, writes the AP. While the race between Sanders and Clinton for the nomination has been contentious at times, it hasn’t often resulted in fistfights, at least not with fellow Democrats.

An Atlanta police department spokesman gave a written statement to the Daily Mail, and it looks like the arresting officers didn’t know they had a famous actor on their hands, especially one currently filming in the city.

“The incident did not rise to anything significant so no special notification was made… it was treated like any other arrest a patrol officer conducts. Mr. Pierce made no indication he was famous nor did the officer inquire.”

According to ABCNews, “Police said they’re still gathering details for an incident report, and would share additional details once completed.”

[Photo by Skip Bolen/Getty Images]