Comedian and actor George Lopez has been charged with battery, following an October incident in which he got involved in a physical altercation with a Donald Trump supporter, Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting.
Back in mid-October, as the Inquisitr reported at the time, Lopez was in New Mexico filming a movie when, after a day of shooting, stopped by a Las Cruces Hooters. For those not familiar, Hooters is a restaurant chain featuring scantily-clad female servers wearing short-shorts and form-fitting tops that accentuate their, shall we say, “curves.” There, he got into a physical altercation with another patron.
The specifics of what transpired remain in dispute, and — considering the fact that Lopez has since been summoned to appear in court — will likely be decided upon by a judge or jury.
Lopez spoke to police the day after the incident, and claimed that the patron had been making pro-Trump statements and shouting “MAGA!” — that is, the acronym for “Make America Great Again,” the slogan of the Trump administration — all night at George, who is vocally anti-Trump.
There is also footage of the altercation, which you can view below. In the video, the man recording, who is also the alleged instigator, can be heard saying, “Here comes my boy, George.” What happens next is difficult to discern, due to the camera being moved about in the scuffle, as well as competing voices talking over one another.
George Lopez Charged With Disturbing Crime Following Alleged Anti-Trump Brawl https://t.co/TWEFHsl2l7 pic.twitter.com/O0U5WXrQjW
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 9, 2018
The man keeps repeating “George wants to fight me! George wants to fight me!” George, for his part, appears to be speaking in both English and Spanish as he appears to grab the man by the neck.
WARNING: This video contains strong language.
https://youtu.be/qZcR6yUJ0yc
The alleged victim, for his part, claims that he saw Lopez and his entourage entering the restaurant and decided he wanted to get a photograph with him. The man says that he asked Lopez for a photo, and that Lopez instead grabbed the man’s phone, as well as his — the victim’s — genital area, deleted a photo, and handed the phone back to him. That’s why, he says, he taunted George as he was leaving the restaurant, which led to the confrontation.
Another customer at the restaurant appears to back up the victim’s story, saying that he intervened in the fight because he felt that Lopez was in the wrong.
“He didn’t need to do that. Nobody should ever touch another person, no matter what.”
Lopez has been charged with a count of misdemeanor battery.