Actor Shia LaBeouf avoids jail after admitting disorderly conduct charge

Actor Shia LaBeouf has admitted disorderly conduct at a Broadway show - one of several episodes of bizarre behaviour the former Transformers star has displayed in recent years.

LaBeouf - who has received treatment for an alcohol problem since his arrest in June - was sombre in court as he pleaded guilty in a deal that involves no jail time or probation. If he stays in treatment for at least three months and out of trouble for six, he will be allowed to withdraw the guilty plea and the case will be dismissed.

"Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?" Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Diana Boyar asked.

"Yes, your honour," LaBeouf said.

"We appreciate the thoughtfulness of the resolution of the matter," said his lawyer, Robert Gage.

LaBeouf, 28, was watching Alan Cumming and Michelle Williams in a Cabaret revival on June 24 when he started smoking, yelling at the actors onstage, and swearing at security guards and hollering as he was escorted out: "Do you know who I am?" according to court papers. Taken to a police precinct, he is said to have spat at an officer's feet.