Alec Baldwin plead not guilty to assault and harassment charges in a Manhattan criminal court on Monday morning, according to Fox News and ABC News. The “30 Rock” star is accused of punching a man in a parking lot brawl earlier this month.
Baldwin was arrested on Nov. 2 after police said he got into a fight with a 49-year-old man in a parking garage over a space a Baldwin family member had attempted to hold for the actor. The other driver accused Baldwin of throwing punches and later went to the hospital for jaw pain and injuries to his neck. Baldwin, soon after being arrested, denied he threw any punches and said the incident was “egregiously misstated.”
Baldwin was given a Jan. 23 court date after entering his plea on Monday, Fox News reported. The assault and harassment charges are misdemeanor and violation-level charges, respectively. The 60-year-old actor declined to speak with reporters at the New York courthouse.
“Mr. Baldwin is a public figure whose reputation has been damaged by media reports that claim that he punched a man on a New York City street,” Baldwin’s attorney Alan Abramson said, according to the Associated Press. Abramson added there is “incontrovertible video evidence” that has been given to the district attorney’s office that will exonerate Baldwin.
Baldwin — who has gained acclaim in recent years for his portrayal of Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live” — has run into trouble in the past. He was removed from an American Airlines flight in 2011 for refusing to stop playing “Words With Friends,” and got into a scuffle with a New York Post reporter in 2013.