Entertainment

Louis Tomlinson must wait to hear if he face charges over airport incident

Prosecutors said a decision on whether the One Direction star will be charged had been delayed.
Prosecutors said a decision on whether the One Direction star will be charged had been delayed. Prosecutors said a decision on whether the One Direction star will be charged had been delayed.

One Direction star Louis Tomlinson must wait to learn if he faces prosecution over an alleged clash with a photographer at an airport.

The 25-year-old singer was arrested after the incident at Los Angeles International Airport on March 3, when he was travelling with his girlfriend Eleanor Calder.

The case was expected to be heard at LAX courthouse on Wednesday but prosecutors said a decision on whether he will be charged had been delayed.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office said: “A filing decision will not be made today. Our prosecutors are still reviewing the case.”

Louis Tomlinson (Yui Mok/PA)
Louis Tomlinson (Yui Mok/PA)
Louis Tomlinson (Yui Mok/PA)

A new court date will be set if charges are filed against Louis, he added.

Lawyers for the singer said he was “provoked” by the paparazzi, while Eleanor is thought to have argued with onlookers who began filming the row.

The couple had been returning to Los Angeles after a holiday in Las Vegas when he allegedly clashed with the photographer, named in reports as Karl Larsen.

An arrest record showed Louis was held under citizen’s arrest and the alleged offence was classed as a misdemeanour.

Louis Tomlinson arrest
Louis Tomlinson arrest
The arrest record (LA County Sheriff’s Department)

After the incident, the singer’s lawyer Martin Singer said: “The paparazzi provoked and caused the altercation that occurred with Louis at the airport.

“This is not the first or last time that a paparazzi has created an altercation with a celebrity.

“While the altercation was going on with the paparazzi, three other individuals were attacking his girlfriend during this incident and he came to her defence.”

One Direction
One Direction
Louis and his One Direction bandmates (Ian West/PA)

Bail was set at 20,000 dollars (£16,000) but a source said Louis did not have to pay it as he was released under his own recognisance, in which a person pledges in writing to appear in all court proceedings.

Louis was pictured in Miami over the weekend where he performed at Ultra Music Festival.

The singer, whose mother Johannah died in December after battling leukaemia, is releasing solo material while One Direction are on hiatus.