Oscar Producer: Police Were Ready to Arrest the Star During the Oscars

Will Smith was ready to be arrested at the Oscars after the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage, according to the ceremony’s producer.

Will Packer said officers asked Rock if he wanted them to take action in his first interview since the incident on Sunday. Packer told ABC TV that the star was “very dismissive” of the offer. Smith has apologised for punching Rock over a joke about his wife Jada, and the Oscars’ organisers and Packer have been chastised for their responses.

The producer described the conversation between Rock and Los Angeles police officers in the aftermath of the incident in an interview clip published by ABC’s Good Morning America.

“They were saying something along the lines of, you know, this is – battery was the word they used at the time. ‘We’ll go get him,’ they said. We have everything we need. Right now, we’re ready to go get him. You have the option of filing charges. We have the authority to detain him.’

“They were outlining the possibilities. And while they were conversing, Chris was dismissive of those possibilities. ‘No, I’m fine,’ he said. ‘No, no, no,’ he exclaimed. I went so far as to say, ‘Rock, let them finish.’

“‘Would you like us to take any action?’ the other LAPD officers asked after they had finished explaining his options. ‘No,’ he replied. ‘No,’ he replied.”

Packer, who produced the 2015 Oscar-nominated film Straight Outta Compton and the 2017 film Girls Trip, will be interviewed in depth later on Friday. There have been conflicting reports on the producer’s role in Smith’s decision to stay in the Dolby Theatre to accept his best actor award shortly after the now-famous slap.

Packer entered the auditorium and spoke with Smith, according to Variety, but reports differ on whether Packer asked Smith to stay or not. The organisation has begun disciplinary proceedings against Smith, and its board of directors will meet on April 18 to decide how to proceed.

It could result in “suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct,” according to the statement.

Rock said on Wednesday that he is “still processing what happened” as he hosted the final leg of his US tour in Boston.

Rock, who received a standing ovation from the audience, also denied reports in the American media that he had spoken to Smith since the incident.

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