Alec Baldwin may not have committed a crime at all on Friday when he was arrested for assault and harassment, stemming from a disagreement with another man over a parking spot.
TMZ reported that there is a case to be made that the actor and the man engaged in "mutual combat," which, by definition, is not a crime.
The report said there is grainy surveillance video of what appears to be a shoving match between Alec and the man. What's clear is that there was a scuffle; what's not clear is whether Alec actually punched or even slapped that man. If this was a case of merely both men shoving and yelling at each other, that is not a crime.
The story itself is rather strange. Multiple reports claim Alec had someone stand on the street to block a parking spot when the man decided to ignore the person and park there. Both Alec and man got out of their cars and began arguing. That is when the alleged attack occurred.
Alec was taken to the police station where he was given a ticket. He was then released.
Shortly after, Alec denied the physical assault, tweeting, "Normally, I would not comment on something as egregiously misstated as today's story. However, the assertion that I punched anyone over a parking spot is false. I wanted to go on the record stating as such."
The man on the other end told police that Alec struck him with his hand, which could either constitute a punch or a slap (although a slap is generally less serious.) He also claimed that he suffered face and neck injuries as a result of the alleged attack and was taken to the hospital, TMZ reported.