NEW YORK — Rising film star Jonathan Majors on Sunday denied charges he choked and assaulted a woman during a domestic disturbance, saying through his lawyer that the woman has already recanted the allegations.
Majors, 33, who recently starred in “Creed III” and played the villain “Kang the Conqueror” in the latest Marvel movie, was arrested Saturday morning on charges of misdemeanor assault, attempted assault and aggravated harassment.
He called 911 from his penthouse apartment near W. 22nd Street and Eighth Street because his live-in girlfriend was causing problems, police sources said. When police arrived, they noticed she was injured, and she told them he hit her face, grabbed her hand and put his hand to her throat, the sources said.
On Sunday, Majors’ lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, called Majors “completely innocent and provably the victim,” and said they’re gathering evidence to show the Manhattan District Attorney's Office he didn’t assault her.
“This evidence includes video footage from the vehicle where this episode took place, witness testimony from the driver and others who both saw and heard the episode, and most importantly, two written statements from the woman recanting these allegations,” Chaudhry said.
“Unfortunately, this incident came about because this woman was having an emotional crisis, for which she was taken to a hospital yesterday,” Chaudhry added. “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.”
A spokesman for Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg declined comment Sunday.
Chaudhry’s lawyer didn’t respond to a follow-up question about why the NYPD was supposedly “required to make an arrest.”
Majors, who rose to prominence after appearing in the indie movie “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” in 2019 and starred in the HBO series “Lovecraft Country,” is poised to play an outsized, highly anticipated role in the multibillion-dollar Marvel film franchise.
He’s played versions of the “Kang” character in the first season of the TV show “Loki” and in the recently released “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” and is expected to reprise the role in at least one upcoming “Avengers” film and Loki’s second season.
Law enforcement sources said the woman worked on the “Quantumania” set.
Majors was released without bail at a brief arraignment Saturday in Manhattan Criminal Court where a judge issued a limited order of protection for the victim. He’s due back in court in May.
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(New York Daily News' Rocco Parascandola contributed to this report.)
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