LAPD was 'prepared' to arrest Will Smith for 'battery' at Oscars, but Chris Rock declined, Oscars producer says

published 1 April 2022

Academy Awards producer Will Packer told ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday he did not speak directly to Will Smith the night of the Oscars, contradicting anonymous reports he told Smith not to leave the awards ceremony after slapping Chris Rock on stage. But the Los Angeles Police Department was ready to haul Smith away, he told GMA's T.J. Holmes, in an interview set to air Friday morning.

LAPD officers came to his office moments after the slap, and "they were saying, you know, this is battery was the word they use in that moment," Packer said. "They said we will go get him; we are prepared. We're prepared to get him right now. You can press charges. We can arrest him. They were laying out the options, and as they were talking, Chris was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, 'No, I'm fine.' He was like, 'No, no, no.'"

The LAPD said in a statement Sunday that "investigative entities were aware" of the incident, "the individual involved has declined to file a police report," but "if the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report." The LAPD told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday it has no further comments on the matter. Other than a few general jokes, Rock has not spoken publicly about Smtih's slap.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.