Actor Mel Gibson has issued an apology for remarks he reportedly made after being arrested for driving under the influence early Friday. The arresting officer reported that Gibson unleashed an anti-Semitic rant and attempted to flee the scene.
Gibson has been condemned by Anti-Defamation League Director Abraham Foxman and by Hollywood agent Ari Emmanuel, who is calling for the film industry to shun Gibson.
The actor, director and producer, whose credits include Passions of the Christ, was allegedly driving 87 miles per hour along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. He flunked the blood-alcohol test, was arrested and released several hours later on a $5,000 bail. [Editor's note: The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office later acknowledged that the original bail report was inaccurate, and that Gibson was released on his own recognizance.]
The Time Warner-owned Web siteTMZ.com broke the story that in the original arresting deputy's report, Gibson had been extremely profane and abusive. He reportedly asked one of the officers if he was Jewish, and blamed Jews for all the wars in the world.
The incident arose as Disney is set to release Gibson's next film, Apocalypto, in a few months. Studio chief Oren Aviv has issued a statement in which he accepts Gibson's apology.
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