The story continues to unfold surrounding Creed III star Jonathan Majors, following his arrest for the alleged strangulation, assault and harassment of his purported girlfriend in New York City early on March 25. After a woman was treated at the hospital for a laceration behind her ear, redness and marks on her face, Majors’ lawyer offered a different take on the events of the apparent altercation. Defense attorney Priya Chaudhry said in a statement released March 26 that there is evidence to refute the accusations against her client and that he is “probably the victim.”
News broke Saturday that Jonathan Majors had been arrested and subsequently released after an argument broke out on the evening of Friday, March 24, in a taxi. The actor was accused of getting physical after a woman tried to peek at his phone, allegedly grabbing her neck and causing other visible injuries. Majors’ representatives released a statement denying any wrongdoing by the actor, and his lawyer Priya Chaudhry followed up with another statement Sunday (per TMZ) in which she said:
Jonathan Majors is completely innocent and is probably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows. We are quickly gathering and presenting evidence to the District Attorney with the expectation that all charges will be dropped imminently.
The attorney’s statement went on to say that there is evidence including video footage from the vehicle where the alleged altercation took place and witness testimony — including that of the driver — that will prove her client’s innocence. She also stressed that they have procured “two written statements from the woman recanting these allegations."
Priya Chaudhry cited standard operating procedures for the reason the police arrested the 33-year-old actor, TMZ reports, saying they are required to do so in cases where there's “probable cause” to back up the accusations. In this case, that reportedly refers to the woman’s visible injuries. The lawyer said (via ABC News):
The NYPD is required to make an arrest in these situations, and this is the only reason Mr. Majors was arrested. We expect these charges to be dropped soon.
As it stands, the White Boy Rick alum has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault, second-degree aggravated harassment, second-degree harassment and third-degree attempted assault.
Jonathan Majors has had a big year on the big screen, with the actor receiving high praise for his antagonistic character Damian Anderson with Michael B. Jordan in Creed III. Last month he starred opposite Paul Rudd in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to kick off the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 5. While fans have enjoyed watching Majors’ rise in Hollywood, a couple of directors have spoken out since his arrest, offering a less-enthusiastic view of the actor.
Rising filmmaker A.B. Allen confirmed that they were referencing the Lovecraft Country actor in February when they tweeted about “a vicious, cruel, abusive human being.” After the entertainer's arrest, Allen clarified that the behavior they’d allegedly witnessed was not physical but “emotionally violent” and “professionally abusive.”
Broadway veteran Tim Nicolai also weighed in, saying that people at Yale — where Jonathan Majors received a master’s degree — and others in New York City who have worked with him have known “for years” that he is a “sociopath and abuser.”
A court date is set for May 8 in Jonathan Majors’ case, so we’ll have to wait to see if his lawyer is correct about whether or not the supposed evidence collected will lead to charges being dropped.
