iPhone tanty: Brand hands himself in

Russell Brand has handed himself over to police today after a warrant was issued for his arrest in the US.

The Arthur star turned himself into custody after law enforcement in New Orleans issued a warrant following his throwing of a photographer's phone into the window of a nearby office building on Monday.

Although the window was repaired for US$240 soon after the incident, the warrant continued to stand.

Russell - who is in the city shooting a movie - was being held on US$5000 bail for simple criminal damage, but has paid the money and has since been released, according to X17Online.com.

In a police report, paparazzo Timothy Jackson claims he was with a group of photographers when he spotted the star - who split from singer Katy Perry after 14 months of marriage in December - and began taking pictures of him on his phone from his car.

Russell took the phone and threw it at an office window.

A man from inside the office said the actor offered to pay for the damage and that the phone was returned to the photographer.

Joking about the smash, Russell wrote on Twitter: "Since Steve Jobs died I cannot bear to see anyone use an iphone irreverently, what I did was a tribute to his memory.(sic)"

This is not the first time Brand has been accused of getting physical with the paparazzi. He was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in 2010 after a scuffle with a photographer although all charges were later dropped.

- Bang! Showbiz