Alleged Leo Beer Basher Busted

Woman accused of attacking actor with a broken beer bottle in 2005 in custody in Canada

By Josh Grossberg Jan 04, 2008 8:10 PMTags

It's more like catch her if you can.

A woman who went on the lam in 2005 after allegedly bashing Leonardo DiCaprio with a broken beer bottle is now in police custody in Toronto following a similar assault.

The APB went out for Aretha Wilson, 37, in July 2005, when she failed to surrender to authorities on one count of assault with a deadly weapon.

The purported attack occurred a few weeks earlier, on June 20, at a Hollywood Hills party hosted by Paris Hilton sex-tape costar Rick Salomon. Wilson supposedly trespassed onto the property and apparently mistook the Titanic heartthrob for an ex-boyfriend. She accosted DiCaprio and then, as he was leaving, allegedy slashed him with a "glass object," believed to be a broken beer bottle.

DiCaprio sustained a gash near his ear and received a dozen stitches after being taken to a hospital. DiCaprio filed a formal criminal complaint a few days later. The warrant was issued when she failed to report to a police station for booking.

Wilson managed to elude police for two years, but her on-the-lam status ended when she was nabbed north of the border on what was initially reported to be an aggravated-assault charge. According to the Los Angeles Times, Canadian officials also consider Wilson a suspect in a other similar incidents.

However, when asked about the possibility of her being extradited to Los Angeles to face charges for assaulting the actor, LAPD spokeswoman Officer Karen Smith told E! Online that Wilson was actually being held because the violent assault in Canada resulted in a death . The severity of that charge would indefinitely postpone any sort of extradition process.

"Her case in Canada will actually take precedence because [the allegation is] she actually killed that person," Smith said.

An officer for the Toronto Police Department could not immediately confirm the LAPD statement or the exact nature of Wilson's detention, but an insider knowledgeable with the case confirmed that the death has not been specifically linked to her.  The victim purportedly died from balcony fall shortly after she went after him with the glass.

Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, said LAPD has yet to officially notify prosecutors about Wilson's arrest.

In any event, Gibbons said her office wouldn't be able to pursue extradition until (a) her office received a formal communiqué from police about Wilson's status and (b) followed up with DiCaprio to see if he still wants to press charges.

After that, Gibbons said prosecutors "would have to go through the State Department, since [Wilson is facing] a more serious charge in Canada."

The actor's attorney, Blair Berk, told E! Online that the actor "continues to cooperate in every way with authorities."

Wilson's next court appearance in Toronto is scheduled for Feb. 19.

DiCaprio's docket already is full with a legal hassle from his Hollywood Hills neighbors.

Thursday, a Los Angeles judge ruled for the second time against a couple who sued The Departed star for allegedly destabilizing their property by erecting a basketball court on his. The pair, Ronald and Joan Linclau, who originally sought $250,000 in damages, were given 15 days to amend their complaint with more facts or face dismissal.

To help pay the legal bills, DiCaprio recently wrapped shooting on Ridley Scott's Middle East drama Body of Lies and will soon reunite with Martin Scorcese for their fourth film together, Shutter Island, a 1950s-period mystery thriller set in a mental hospital.