Party Foul? NYPD Investigating Whether Kiefer Head-Butted Designer

Police confirm they are looking into allegation that 24 star attacked designer in some kind of beef involving Brooke Shields

Did Kiefer Sutherland go all Jack Bauer and head-butt a designer after the Costume Institute Gala, landing the guy in the hospital?

And all to protect the honor of Brooke Shields?

Sources in the NYPD confirm to E! News they are investigating a report that, while attending an afterparty at the SubMercer, where Mary-Kate Olsen and Kirsten Dunst were hanging, the 24 star head-butted Proenza Schouler designer Jack McCollough hard enough to break his nose.

McCollough told police the incident happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday and says he suffered facial injuries. A photo shows McCollough with a cut on a nose.

The reason for the supposed attack is even more bizarre...

According to the blog Guest of a Guest, which first reported the alleged incident, the actor apparently believed the designer had somehow slighted Shields.

Both Brooke and Kiefer attended the ball earlier that night ("He was a perfect gentleman while at the museum," a Met rep tells us) and were costars in Freeway way back when.

Speaking to TMZ, Shields's rep insists "nothing happened to her" and that "Jack did nothing inappropriate." It's not clear what caused Kiefer to do what he did.

Proenza Schouler had no comment, while Kiefer's people didn't respond to requests for comment.

No charges have been filed, but investigators plan to meet with Sutherland and Shields to get their side of the story.

(Originally published May 6, 2009, at 7 a.m. PT)

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