Russell Crowe was arrested and charged Monday for allegedly throwing a telephone at an employee of the Manhattan hotel where he was staying.
Crowe, 41, who plays a boxer in his latest film, "Cinderella Man," allegedly threw the phone at the concierge at the Mercer Hotel in SoHo, "hitting him in the face and causing a laceration and substantial pain," according to the complaint.
The Australian movie star was arraigned on charges of second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon — the telephone — before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Martin Murphy. The assault charge is punishable by seven years in prison.
"This arose because he was trying to get his wife on the phone in Australia," his lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt, told reporters earlier outside the police precinct where Crowe was booked. "He was in his room. He couldn't get a line and there was a disagreement."
Police said Crowe left his room and went to the front desk where the alleged confrontation took place.
He was released on his own recognizance.