Oscars Producer Will Packer: LAPD Said Will Smith Attack was 'Battery,' Were Prepared to 'Arrest Him'

Oscars producer Will Packer revealed the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) told Chris Rock backstage at the Academy Awards after Will Smith punched him in the face that what the actor did was “battery,” and that they were prepared to “arrest him.”

In an interview with Good Morning America, Packer explained police officers were immediately on the scene backstage after the attack, telling Rock what his rights were, and informing the comedian that they were prepared to arrest the actor.

Packer said the LAPD “came into my office, and they were laying out very clearly what Chris’ rights were. They were saying: ‘This is battery. We will go get him. We will go get him right now, you can press charges, we can arrest him.'”

“The LAPD made it clear: ‘We will do whatever you want us to do — and one of the options is that we will go and arrest him right now,'” he added.

The Oscars producer also mentioned that he, too, would support Rock’s decision.

“I made that clear, like, ‘Rock, you tell me, whatever you want to do, brother,'” Packer said.

But Rock was “dismissive” of the options police presented to him, and insisted he was “fine,” the Oscars producer noted.

Packer added his co-producer, Shayla Cowan, told him the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences was ready to remove Smith from the event.

“It happened right before the best actor award,” he said, adding he was not part of the conversation with the Academy to remove Smith.

“I immediately went to the Academy leadership that was on site and I said: ‘Chris Rock doesn’t want that,’ I said: ‘Rock has made it clear that he does not want to make a bad situation worse,'” Packer said.

On Wednesday, the Academy said in a statement it had asked Smith to leave, but the actor refused.

On Sunday, Smith marched onto the Oscars stage and struck Rock in the face after the comedian referred to Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith as “G.I. Jane.” The actor then twice shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth” after retaking his seat in the audience.

***LANGUAGE WARNING***

After the attack, Smith collected his award for Best Actor, and then danced the night away with fellow Hollywood elites at the Vanity Fair Oscars after party, seemingly unbothered and in no fear of facing any consequences for the assault.

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