Sheriff: Shia LaBeouf Not to Blame in Car Crash

Tue., Jul. 29, 2008 12:36 PM PDT by Gina Serpe

Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

Turns out, Shia LaBeouf was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. With the wrong blood-alcohol level.

As the 22-year-old Transformers star spends the next month recovering from extensive hand surgery and planning a defense for his charge of misdemeanor DUI, he can take some solace in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's latest revelation: Despite previous reports and assumptions, the actor was not to blame in causing Sunday morning's rollover car crash.

"He was not at fault," sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Authorities are now fingering the driver of the vehicle hit by LaBeouf's pickup. The motorist, whose identity has not been disclosed, ran a red light while LaBeouf attempted to make a legal left turn, said Whitmore. LaBeouf instead plowed into the oncoming car.

The other driver was actually cited at the scene for the moving offense that resulted in the rollover of the Indiana Jones star's ride.

LaBeouf wasn't responsible for the crash, his DUI count still stands.

Sheriff's Sgt. Kristin Aloma said the actor "was exhibiting obvious signs of intoxication" and booked him on the misdemeanor charge Sunday morning. According to his booking sheet, the normally lanky actor was listed as carrying 199 pounds on 5-foot-10 frame.

LaBeouf, however, has yet to be arraigned. He was taken by ambulance from the scene to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He remains at the facility recuperating from surgery on his left hand. He is expected to make a full recovery.

All things considered, LaBeouf's luck could have gone from bad to worse: His passenger, fellow Transformers 2 star Isabel Lucas, and the other driver sustained only minor injuries. Had they been more seriously hurt, LaBeouf would have found himself at the business end of a felony charge.