ACTOR TESTIFIES HE WAS TRYING TO SHIELD FAMILY.Byline: Jeannette DeSantis Daily News Staff Writer Actor Alec Baldwin testified Tuesday he was defending his wife and newborn daughter from a "wild-eyed and odd-looking" man - whom he believed could be a stalker - when he confronted a photographer outside his Woodland Hills home. "I am sorry that the whole thing happened," Baldwin told the jury at his misdemeanor assault trial. "I had to protect myself but more importantly I had to protect my wife and daughter." Baldwin, 38, is charged with slugging For the baseball statistic, see Slugging average. Slugging is the practice of forming ad-hoc, informal carpools for purposes of commuting, essentially a variation of ride-share commuting and hitchhiking. Alan Zanger, 51, when the free-lance photographer tried to videotape the homecoming of Baldwin's wife, actress Kim Basinger, and their newborn daughter, Ireland. Zanger has testified that the attack was unprovoked. "Security people have warned us about men with cameras and the possibility of kidnapping kidnapping, in law, the taking away of a person by force, threat, or deceit, with intent to cause him to be detained against his will. Kidnapping may be done for ransom or for political or other purposes. our child," Baldwin told the rapt jury of eight women and four men in Van Nuys Municipal Court. In describing the incident, the star of "The Juror juror n. any person who actually serves on a jury. Lists of potential jurors are chosen from various sources such as registered voters, automobile registration or telephone directories. " and "The Hunt for Red October" told jurors he arrived home with Basinger and their baby on "one of the happiest days of my life" when he noticed an unfamiliar truck parked across the street from his home. He said he walked up to the truck, peered into the camper shell A camper shell, sometimes known as a topper or cap, is a small housing or rigid canopy used as a pickup truck accessory. The housing is usually made of fiberglass or aluminum, and is mounted atop the pickup truck's rear bed. and "saw the red light of a camera device." Realizing someone was videotaping him and after knocking several times on the window, Baldwin said he walked away - only returning to spray the window with shaving cream. He told jurors he wanted to defuse de·fuse tr.v. de·fused, de·fus·ing, de·fus·es 1. To remove the fuse from (an explosive device). 2. To make less dangerous, tense, or hostile: the situation in a "benign and disarming disarming removal of the crown of the canine teeth in primates. Includes denervation of the pulp cavity. " manner. But as he walked back to his home, he heard Zanger get out of his truck. "He had no press credentials on," Baldwin testified. "He was exceedingly tense, very wild-eyed and excitable excitable /ex·ci·ta·ble/ (ek-sit´ah-b'l) irritable (1). ex·cit·a·ble adj. 1. Capable of reacting to a stimulus. Used of a tissue, cell, or cell membrane. 2. ." In an "even tone" Baldwin said he asked Zanger to stop videotaping his family and leave. He said Zanger replied, "What's the big deal?" When Zanger did not put the camera down, Baldwin approached him. "I reached up and smacked the camera out of his hand and the camera hit his glasses and they flew off his face," Baldwin said, turning toward the jury. He said Zanger then moved toward him and Baldwin pushed him into a neighbor's garbage containers in the street. "I didn't strike him at all," Baldwin said as he stood to demonstrate for the jury. "All I did was push him away from me. When he came at me again, I reared back to kick him with my right foot." Baldwin said Zanger was dazed daze tr.v. dazed, daz·ing, daz·es 1. To stun, as with a heavy blow or shock; stupefy. 2. To dazzle, as with strong light. n. A stunned or bewildered condition. and left saying, "You're going to pay for this." Zanger has filed a $1 million civil lawsuit against Baldwin over the incident, and Baldwin has filed a cross-complaint with unspecified damages. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Alec Baldwin Accused of hitting photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion