Alec Baldwin slaps phone out of hand of ‘ambush interviewer’ who taunts him over fatal Rust shooting
Alec Baldwin was filmed knocking a phone out of a woman’s hand after being harassed at a New York coffee shop.
The actor, 66, was confronted over the fatal shooting on the set of Rust, as well as his stance on Israel, by a content creator called Crackhead Barney. The person has been described in the media as an “ambush interviewer”, and filmed her interaction with the 30 Rock star on a mobile phone camera.
“Why did you kill that lady? You killed that lady and got no jail time,” says the woman in the clip. She was seemingly referring to the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died on the set of the western film in 2021 when a gun held by Baldwin discharged a live bullet during rehearsal.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the person in charge of firearm safety on the set of Rust, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March. Baldwin, who also served as a producer on the film, is currently set to face trial in July over an involuntary manslaughter charge. The actor has pleaded not guilty.
Over the course of the 51-second long clip, the person continues to ask Baldwin about “jail time”, and repeatedly asks him to say “free Palestine” and “f*** Israel”.
Baldwin is seen holding the door open and waiting for the cameraperson to leave, but she refuses. At the end of the video, he is seen knocking the camera out of the woman’s hands.
The Twitter account named “Crackhead Barney & Friends” shared the clip of the incident alongside the caption: “White devil Alec Baldwin attacked me While I was trying to get coffeee.”
The Independent has contacted Baldwin’s representative for comment.
Hours after the clip began circulating on social media, Baldwin shared a message to his Instagram page, wishing followers a “Happy Earth Day…”
The post contained a video of his children playing, set to the song “Shower the People” by James Taylor.
In December, Baldwin was embroiled in a heated exchange with an pro-Palestine protester, who asked him whether he “condemned” Israel.
Though Baldwin faces the possibility of prison time with the forthcoming trial, he previously settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Hutchins in 2022.
“All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work,” he said after the settlement.