By Daily Press Staff
CIVIC CENTER Santa Monica police are investigating the alleged assault and battery of a paparazzo by Nicole Kidman’s bodyguard — a incident that can be viewed on a number of Web sites catering to fans of pop culture.
SMPD Lt.Alex Padilla confirmed the investigation,saying the battered photographer from Flynet.com filed a police report from a local hospital shortly after the alleged incident took place.
According to Flynet, the bodyguard, David Michael Garris, attacked their photographer on Thursday,punching him in the face several times as he sat in his car filming. On the video one can see a man jump out of a black SUV and confront the photographer, telling him to stop following him and Kidman, who was believed to be in the SUV on her way to the gym.
The assault stemmed from an incident on Wednesday, when a fellow photographer was attacked by Kidman’s trainer while the 53-year-old photographer was snapping pictures of Kidman and her trainer hiking, according to a statement by Flynet.
The next day, a friend of the photographer was following Kidman and her bodyguard as they were heading to the gym.
In a statement from Flynet, the company said: “Now I know the paparazzi can be annoying, but do they deserve a physical assault of this magnitude? You may respond, ‘hey well that’s what the guy gets for following someone.’Well, sure that’s one way to look at it. But this photographer is just doing his job, giving the people something to talk about while they wait in line at the grocery store, flip-ping through all of the celebrity magazines that sell millions of copies worldwide. So if you disagree with it, fine. But I don’t think a physical assault was justified here. Watch and judge for yourself.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 15, 2008. Read the original PDF.