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Devin McRae Sheds Light On Possible Legal Ramifications of Will Smith’s Oscars Slap in The Washington Post
In an article published in The Washington Post, Devin McRae weighed in on the recent Oscars incident in which Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face on stage after Rock made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Moments later, Smith went on to win the Oscar Award for Best Actor for his performance as Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams, in “King Richard.”
The article details the divided opinions from celebrities who were in attendance and viewers who watched the incident play out on live TV, in addition to forecasting how both the Academy and the Los Angeles Police Department should respond.
In Devin’s opinion, the possibility of any criminal charges being filed are unlikely because Rock declined to press charges at the time of the incident, even though the case could be prosecuted as criminal assault and battery.
“The LAPD or the sheriff’s office doesn’t really need a complaining witness in a case like that if the evidence of the act is on film,” Devin says. “A lot of criminal agencies are so overburdened with work that, for this type of thing, if the victim doesn’t want to press charges, it might be routine for them to just not prosecute it and not have to devote the resources.”
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The industry — and the academy — are torn on how to handle Will Smith’s Oscars slap