Police Called To Will And Jada Smith's Mansion Over Drone Sighting
Topics: Jada Pinkett Smith, Oscars, Technology, US News, Will Smith
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Jada Pinkett Smith, Oscars, Technology, US News, Will Smith
Los Angeles police officers were spotted arriving at Will Smith's home this week following reports of a drone in the area.
Police cars drove through the gates of the home Smith shares with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in the city of Calabasas in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California.
Images of the officers' arrival were snapped by Splash News at 2.40pm local time on Tuesday, 29 March, two days after the actor slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars for making a joke about Jada.
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Smith has been in the spotlight as a result of the incident, and while Rock has declined to press charges Smith has issued a statement apologising to Rock and describing violence as 'poisonous and destructive'.
Deputy Lizette Salcon, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, told Page Six officers arrived at the Calabasas mansion following reports of a drone flying over the neighbourhood.
Salcon did not confirm whether the report was made by the Smiths or another resident in the area, but she said officers were sent from the department to 'try to locate the drone and see if there was a paparazzi or what was going on'.
The spokesperson added that deputies weren't able to locate the drone when they got there as it had 'already left the area'.
Drones are legal in California for recreational and commercial use, provided they are used in keeping with Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight controls put in place by local governments, according to dronelaws.com.
However, drones cannot 'enter the airspace of persons to capture images without consent', or 'take photos or record videos of persons engaged in personal, private, or familial activities without approval'.
The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed it is aware of the incident that took place between Smith and Rock on Sunday, and explained that while Rock has declined to file a police report the LAPD 'will be available to complete an investigative report' should the 'involved party' desire one at a later date.
Former Los Angeles County district attorney Steve Cooley told the New York Post the Los Angeles city attorney could still 'bring charges' against Smith 'based upon the evidence without necessarily relying upon the victim'.
“The victim does not control whether or not a prosecutor should file charges,” Cooley continued. “However, charges actually can and should be filed because the offense was against the state of California. It’s not Chris Rock versus Will Smith in a criminal matter. The LAPD and the city attorney should not close the door on what was an obvious criminal offense and is easily provable,” he said.
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