The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) seems to be pointing fingers at Hollywood celebrities, blaming them for their inability to arrest Will Smith after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, but noted that regular, everyday citizens were requesting the arrest be made.
In a weird bit of excuse-making, the LAPD is claiming it couldn’t arrest Smith because none of the celebrities in attendance at the Oscars were asking for him to be arrested, and because no officers witnessed the act live, reported Z100 New York.
Sources inside the LAPD are revealing new details about officers’ reactions to #WillSmith slapping #ChrisRockhttps://t.co/WtTXJdytLB
— Z100 New York (@Z100NewYork) April 6, 2022
Odder still, the police department reportedly said that several viewers watching the show from home contacted them to ask that Smith be arrested. Smith — who assaulted Rock in plain view of the public and on national television — could not be arrested at the behest of aghast Americans, the department claims, because they did not witness the crime in person, reported the outlet. (RELATED: Will Smith’s Contracts Get Pulled After Academy Awards Slap)
If the celebrities who had witnessed the assault live did not come forward to request that Smith be arrested, and the officers on-site did not personally witness the slap, the only other way Smith could have been arrested was if Rock wanted him to be, according to Z100 New York. By all accounts, it seems the LAPD was not willing or able to make an arrest on their own accord, leaving just one option remaining, which lay with Rock himself. As the victim of the assault, it seems he was the only one that could have moved forward with an arrest, and he has clearly stated his unwillingness to do so, the outlet said.
Even though there were two police representatives in attendance when the incident unfolded, the LAPD has cited a series of hold-backs and reasons that Smith has not faced criminal charges, according to Z100 New York.