American actor Alec Baldwin was arrested in New York City on Friday and stands accused of punching a man outside his apartment building in Manhattan in a dispute over a parking place. According to The New York Times, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said no charges had been laid by mid-afternoon today.

However, a spokesperson for the NYPD told the BBC that Baldwin is facing a likely charge of assault.

Dispute over an NYC parking spot

The New York Times quotes the NYPD as saying a person was reportedly holding the parking space for Alec Baldwin, but another car pulled into it.

The driver of the car, who is reportedly 49 years of age, and Baldwin, 60, then got into an argument over the parking space, leading to Baldwin hitting the driver.

Someone called 911 and when officers arrived on the scene they found the younger unnamed man, who was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital with an injured jaw. The man is listed as being in a stable condition.

Not Alec Baldwin’s first arrest

According to the BBC, Baldwin was arrested in 2014 for disorderly conduct after being stopped by an officer after riding his bicycle the wrong way in traffic.

He was apparently not carrying identification, which is the law in New York City, and when taken to the police station became "belligerent."

The actor has also been in the headlines before over his anger issues. Baldwin was suspended by MSNBC in 2013 from his talk show “Up Late.” The actor had made an anti-gay slur during an argument with a photographer in New York.

Baldwin later issued an apology and said he didn’t mean to offend or hurt anyone with his choice of words.

It is also not the first time Baldwin has been accused of punching someone, as he was acquitted in the 1990s on misdemeanour battery charges after he punched a photographer, reportedly in self-defence.

Baldwin’s daughter, Ireland, defended her father on Twitter admitting that her father battled with anger management issues, but saying he had improved “tremendously.” Baldwin and Ireland have had problems in the past.

In 2007 Baldwin made a public apology for calling Ireland – then 11 – a “rude, thoughtless little pig” in a voicemail message. The apology came after the message went viral online.

US President Donald Trump wishes Baldwin luck

Baldwin has recently portrayed US President Donald Trump on the NBC show “Saturday Night Live” The pair has often had interactions on social media over his impersonations on the show. Baldwin started appearing as Trump in 2016 when the president was a candidate. He seriously mocked the president on the show, doing humorous impressions of Trump.

Trump has been a guest host on “Saturday Night Live” in the past and accused the show of doing a “hit job” on him with Baldwin’s impersonations.

Trump tweeted during March to say it was “agony” for anyone forced to watch the show. The New York Times says Trump was asked in Washington about Baldwin’s arrest, to which he replied and wished the actor luck.

However, his son, Donald Trump Jr., sent out a tweet about the arrest. He asked if anyone was shocked anymore by what he termed “this piece of garbage.” Trump Jr. referenced phone calls between Baldwin and his daughter and accused the actor of being a “lib” who gets many chances to be decent, but “always fails.”
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