Woody Harrelson Hit with Assault Suit

Mon., Mar. 19, 2007 7:06 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

The authorities may have let it slide, but a paparazzo who says he was on the receiving end of a Woody Harrelson smackdown last year is looking for a little payback.

TMZ.com photographer Josh Levine sued Harrelson for $2.5 million Monday, maintaining that the Natural Born Killers star assaulted him last June as he shot footage of him leaving the Hollywood club Element.

Footage posted on TMZ shows Levine doing his darndest to get Harrelson's attention, telling him that he couldn't help following because "you're just so sexy" as he trails the actor and his entourage down the street. Harrelson then approached and stuck his hand in front of Levine's video camera.

The plaintiff, who has accused the hemp-friendly thespian of assault and battery, stated in his lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, that when Harrelson showed him the hand, he simultaneously shoved the camera into Levine's ribs and broke the equipment on impact.

Harrelson then put both of his hands around Levine's neck and threatened him, court documents state.

While Levine is seeking hefty damages for the alleged encounter, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office opted not to press felony charges, with prosecutors stating that the footage of the incident didn't prove that Harrelson had intended to break the camera or cause Levine bodily harm. The L.A. City Attorney's Office also passed on filing misdemeanor charges.

At the time, Levine filed a police report stating that Harrelson had broken the viewfinder on his video camera and then, when the photog switched to a point-and-shoot digital camera, Harrelson grabbed his neck, leaving him with minor abrasions that required treatment at a nearby hospital.

In a similar vein, TMZ reported earlier this month that Harrelson engaged in a heated exchange with the staff at a bar called The Other Room in Venice after cutting his hand on a broken beer glass. Police were called to the scene, where they took an injury report but left empty-handed.

And the bad news kept coming.

Harrelson's father Charles died of a heart attack last Thursday, according to officials at Colorado's Supermax federal prison, where the 69-year-old convicted murderer was serving two life sentences.

Charles Harrelson had suffered from coronary artery disease and probably died in his sleep, Fremont County Coroner Dorothy Twellman said. He was found guilty in 1979 of killing a U.S. District Court judge at the behest of a drug dealer who didn't want the victim presiding over his trial. Woody was seven when his dad was sent to prison.