Tom Arnold vowed to keep fighting after prosecutors dropped his battery claim against “Survivor” creator Mark Burnett — who he claimed choked him at a party last month.
“I intend to proceed with a claim against Mark Burnett for assault and battery. There were several witnesses who corroborated what he did to me that evening,” the 59-year-old comedian tweeted Thursday after news broke about the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office declining to file charges against Burnett following the Emmy party scuffle. (RELATED: Tom Arnold Slams Hollywood’s Anti-Gun Stance)
Executive Producer/SVP Development, Viceland Nomi Ernst Leidner, Tom Arnold and Executive Producer Jonathan Karsh discuss ‘The Hunt For The Trump Tapes’ onstage during The 2018 Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour on July 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for A+E Networks )
“The Police Department informed me that witnesses were reluctant to come forward against Mark Burnett because he is a powerful man, but that won’t stop me from making sure that Mr. Burnett is held accountable for his conduct,” he added.
My official statement regarding the incident with Mark Burnett: pic.twitter.com/VRmpT7oPcQ
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) October 25, 2018
“Yes, I can confirm that yesterday our office did decline to file criminal charges in that matter due to insufficient evidence. No further details are available at this time,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles City’s Attorney’s office, Frank Mateljan, told Fox News.
As previously reported, the comedian tweeted that the TV producer attacked him at a party just two days before the premiere of Arnold’s show on Viceland titled, “The Hunt for the Trump Tapes.”
The actor wrote that “Mark Burnett just went apes— [and] choked me at this huge Emmy party then he ran away with his torn Pink shirt & missing gold chain.”
Mark Burnett just went apeshit & choked me at this huge Emmy party then he ran away with his torn Pink shirt & missing gold chain. I’m waiting for LAPD
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) September 17, 2018
The beef was reportedly over an alleged recording of then-businessman Donald Trump Arnold claimed used the n-word during a filming of “Celebrity Apprentice,” also produced by Burnett, according to TMZ.
However, the outlet has learned that several witnesses interviewed by the LAPD disputed those claims and shared that it was Arnold who was the aggressor and charged at Burnett — who ended up grabbing the comedian’s neck in self-defense.