Shia LaBeouf apologises for racist tirade during arrest for being drunk at hotel in US South

Shia LaBeouf has apologised for a racist tirade against police officers in the US state of Georgia who arrested him at the weekend for public drunkenness.

The actor wrote in a statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday that he had been publicly struggling with addiction for “far too long”. He called his behaviour a new low and attributed it in part to his complete disrespect for authority.

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The statement, which was confirmed as legitimate by LaBeouf’s publicist, asked for forgiveness and said the actor was taking steps to get sober. He did not elaborate.

LaBeouf’s apology came hours after celebrity website TMZ posted video taken while the actor was being booked when he accused police of being racist and told a black officer he was going to hell. The actor made several other profane remarks before being released on US$7,000 bond.

The videos were not immediately available on Wednesday from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

The Transformers actor was arrested in a hotel lobby at 4am on Saturday by officers from the Savannah Police Department and released. He was also accused of disorderly conduct and obstruction.

“I am deeply ashamed of my behavior and make no excuses for it,” LaBeouf wrote on Twitter.

“My outright disrespect for authority is problematic to say the least, and completely destructive to say the worst,” LaBeouf, 31, wrote. “It is a new low. A low I hope is bottom. I have been struggling with addiction publicly for far too long, and I am actively taking steps toward securing my sobriety and hope I can be forgiven for my mistakes.”

LaBeouf is in the Savannah area filming his new movie, The Peanut Butter Falcon, which also stars Dakota Johnson.