Kiefer Sutherland is being sued for assault and battery by his Uber driver.
The 59-year-old actor was arrested in Hollywood in January, with police saying at the time that their investigation had determined that “the suspect, later identified as Kiefer Sutherland, entered a rideshare vehicle, physically assaulted the driver (the victim), and made criminal threats toward the victim”.
Now, court documents obtained by TMZ have revealed more details of the alleged incident, with the driver in question - Rafael Manvelyan - alleging that Sutherland was “visibly intoxicated” when he picked him up in January.
As he primarily speaks Russian and Armenian, Rafael claims the actor was getting “agitated” because he couldn’t understand him.
In the lawsuit, he continues to allege that Sutherland became “increasingly hostile, aggressive, confrontational" during the journey, claiming that the screen star hit him “with closed fists” in the head, face, neck and upper body as he drove.
Rafael, who is also suing the actor for intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence, continues his allegations to accuse Sutherland of putting him into a chokehold and threatening to kill him.
While he says he got out of the car and started running away, he claims Sutherland followed him down the street as he shouted “I’m going to kill you”.
He continues to state that parts of the alleged assault were caught on his dashcam, and also says there were witnesses who will be able to attest to what went on during the altercation.
Rafael alleges he suffered injuries on his head, face, neck, spine and shoulder, and says the police officers could see his forehead was swollen and bruised when they arrived.
His lawyer Mitra Sabouri told TMZ in a statement: “Mr. Manvelyan is a private citizen who did not seek public attention. He filed this action to pursue legal remedies for the injuries and damages he alleges he suffered.
“Out of respect for his privacy, we are not releasing the dashcam footage, and we will allow the facts and evidence to be addressed through the court process."
Rafael is seeking unspecified damages, including punitive.
The January incident is not the first time the actor has been arrested. He has previously endured three spells in jail, most recently in 2007, when he was sentenced to 48 days in prison for driving under the influence (DUI) and violating probation.
Sutherland was detained in 2009 for allegedly assaulting a fashion designer in a New York City nightclub, but the misdemeanour assault charges were later dropped.
He was also arrested in 2020 after making an illegal U-turn in California.
