Shia LaBeouf granted permission to travel to Rome for father's baptism after battery arrests

Shia LaBeouf has finally received permission to travel to Rome for his father's baptism amid his legal troubles after a judge rejected an initial request to authorize the trip. 

LaBeouf, 39, has been arrested twice in connection to a Mardi Gras bar fight last month. He was ordered to pay $105,000 in bail and is now required to check into rehab and undergo regular drug and alcohol testing. 

Throughout the legal proceedings, the actor had sought permission to travel abroad for his father Jeffrey's baptism while out on bail, according to The Guardian.

LaBeouf's initial request to fly to Italy 'for religious purposes, including his father's baptism' from March 1 to 8 was denied by judge Simone Levine during a February 26 court hearing, according to the publication. 

But a second attempt at seeking permission was successful. 

The publication reports LaBeouf's request to travel to Italy was granted on March 4 by magistrate Peter Hamilton.

The Guardian reports that the initial requested was rejected primarily as no travel itinerary had been given to the judge, however numerous officials knowledgeable about the situation told The Guardian a travel itinerary was supplied in the second request.

LaBeouf was arrested on two counts of misdemeanor battery on February 17 following an alleged fight outside a bar in New Orleans' French Quarter. 

He was released the same day on his own recognizance, but judge Levine later ordered he pay a $100,000 bond after learning about alleged homophobic slurs the actor had used during the incident, according to The Guardian.  

The Even Stevens actor was arrested again in connection with the same incident on a misdemeanor simple battery charge and had bond set to $5,000, according to TMZ.

According to the New Orleans Police Department incident report, officers were dispatched to R Bar on Royal Street at approximately 12:45 a.m. on February 17 in response to a reported simple battery involving a man who was allegedly 'causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive.'

In the narrative section of the report, officers wrote that they were informed 'a white male subject was aggressive and struck multiple people' inside the bar.

It was claimed the actor yelled: 'These f****ts put me in jail. I’m a Catholic.'

Judge Levine slammed LaBeouf for his alleged use of the slur against a 'marginalized community' that has faced so much 'terror' already.

Jeffrey Damnit, who was involved in the altercation, has called LaBeouf's release 'ridiculous' and called for him to be charged with a hate crime.

Eyewitnesses alleged LaBeouf became increasingly aggressive at a business and was escorted out by staff, at which point he allegedly struck one man multiple times with closed fists.

Authorities say the situation escalated when LaBeouf returned to the scene and allegedly assaulted the same victim again before punching a second man in the nose.

Witnesses reportedly attempted to restrain him until police arrived.

LaBeouf was taken to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries before being booked into Orleans Parish Prison. He was charged with two counts of simple battery.

In a statement provided to Daily Mail, the police said: 'At approximately 12:45am on February 17, 2026, NOPD officers were called to the 1400 block of Royal Street in response to a simple battery where two victims (two adult males), reported being assaulted.

'Investigators say a man identified as 39-year-old Shia LaBeouf was reportedly causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive at a Royal Street business.

'A staff member attempted to eject Mr. LaBeouf from the establishment. Once removed from the building, the victim reported being struck by LaBeouf who used his closed fists on the victim several times.

'The victims reported that LaBeouf left, but then came back, acting even more aggressive.'

In his first interview since the brawl, LaBeouf made a series of bizarre claims - including that he felt ‘scared’ when approached by three gay men on Fat Tuesday.

‘Big gay people are scary to me,’ LaBeouf said bluntly during an hour-long interview with Channel 5. 

The interview saw LaBeouf make outlandish and often controversial statements.  

Among them was a claim that he felt 'scared' when approached by three gay men on Fat Tuesday.

'Big gay people are scary to me,' LaBeouf said plainly during one part of the hour-long conversation with Andrew Callaghan. 'When I'm standing by myself and three gay dudes are next to me, touching my leg, I get scared. I'm sorry. If that's homophobic then I'm that.'

He also explained about the altercation, 'I was drunk and then I felt infringed upon in terms of my proximity. But I wasn't in my right mind, and so it's on me.'

And he took accountability for reportedly using a gay slur, admitting, 'I said words not ok to say. I don't want to hurt nobody's feelings... I'm wrong for what I did.'

LeBeouf told Callaghan he relocated to New Orleans, where he has deep family roots, following the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025.

LaBeouf detailed some family history elsewhere in the thorough interview.

He explained that his paternal grandmother was a lesbian who married a man who served as her 'beard,' a partner meant to publicly disguise someone's homosexuality.

His last name was originally spelled LeBoeuf but the spelling was changed by his grandmother in an effort to distance herself from her family, who had disowned her.

Speaking on the subject of homosexuality, he clarified: 'I'm good with gay. Be gay over there though. Don't be gay in my lap.'

In the wide-ranging interview, the movie star briefly discussed the demise of his marriage to Mia Goth.

'It's not new heartbreak. I don't want to talk too much about it. It's not my story alone to tell, but my side is I failed my marriage, so I had to own up to that. So that's why I moved out here,' he said.