Woody Harrelson punches man who allegedly wouldn't stop taking photos of his family

Actor Woody Harrelson. Photo / Getty Images

Woody Harrelson punched a man who allegedly wouldn't stop taking photos of him and his daughter.

Police were called to the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC at around 11pm on Wednesday local time in response to a report about an assault on the roof deck, and found several people there, including the 60-year-old actor - who has Deni, 28, Zoe, 25, and Makani, 15, with wife Laura Louie - and one of his kids.

Police said a man, who appeared to be intoxicated, had taken photos of Harrelson and his daughter, and the "Hunger Games" star allegedly approached him and asked him to stop and delete the pictures he'd already taken.

A report by cops then tells how Harrelson admitted he got into a verbal dispute with the man who "lunged towards" him in an attempt to "grab his neck", and so he punched him "in his neck in defence of himself".

Witnesses backed up the "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" star's account of what had happened, and police told NBC Washington their statements suggested the other man had been the aggressor.

The unnamed man who had been taking photos was questioned in his hotel room and his name will be released if he is charged. The investigation is still ongoing.

Harrelson - who has been in the city filming HBO series "The White House Plumbers" - declined to comment on the incident.

This isn't the first time the actor has had an altercation with someone taking pictures.
In 1995, he got into a scuffle with two paparazzi who he claimed had stalked his family during a visit to Martha's Vineyard and was later ordered to pay one of them more than US$4800 ($6900), while the other, who had filmed the incident, was given just US$2.

And in 2008, Harrelson was sued for allegedly attacking and breaking the video camera of a photographer. The case was dismissed two years later after they agreed a settlement out of court.

In 2019, the "No Country For Old Men" star was accused by a paparazzo of assaulting him and damaging his video camera at New York's LaGuardia Airport, but no charges were filed or further action taken.

Harrelson said of the latter incident at the time: "I wrapped a movie called 'Zombieland', in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character.

"With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie."