Russell Crowe Arrested

By: Shannon Gossage

Russell Crowe was arrested in New York on Monday and charged with assault after he allegedly threw a telephone at a hotel employee. Crowe was in town to promote his boxing drama Cinderella Man. He was staying at the Mercer Hotel in Manhattan’s SoHo district. Reportedly, the 41-year old actor became enraged after he could not get a call out to wife Danielle in Australia to say good night to his son. It was reported that after not being able to use the telephone, Crow got into an argument with the hotel clerk, Nestor Estrada. Crowe ripped the handset from the socket in his room and then proceeded downstairs where he allegedly threw the handset at Estrada. Crowe, who has been relatively well behaved as of late, was arrested after the incident at around 4:20 a.m. and charged with second-degree felony assault. Estrada, the hotel clerk at the receiving end of Crowe’s frustration, was taken to St. Vincent’s hospital and treated for minor abrasions then released.

Estrada has admitted that he was so frightened of Crowe that he hid in an office. Says Estrada, "The guy was going nuts…I was scared. I didn’t want to go out. I thought he might still be there." It has been confirmed that Estrada is going to seek compensation for his injuries. Reportedly, Estrada is seeking $1 million for his pain and suffering. A spokesman for the New York police said, "Mr. Estrada is determined to prosecute Mr. Crowe for damages for what he says was a frightening incident."

He has remained relatively calm since he married Danielle Spencer in April of 2003 and became a father to Charles in December 2003, but Crowe has had a history of anger management problems. Last August, it was reported that he had bitten his bodyguard’s ear during an incident that occurred after a night of heavy drinking. At the 2002 British Film Awards, Crowe was accused of "roughing up" producer Malcom Gerrie for cutting out a poem Crowe included in his acceptance speech for Best Actor.