Earlier this week, Angelia Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. Though the couple only married in 2014, they had been together for over a decade and raised six children, three of whom were adopted. According to TMZ, Jolie’s decision to split from Pitt was due to allegations of child abuse relating to an incident occurring last week.
Per sources, TMZ reports that during a flight with his family last week, Pitt became inebriated and “allegedly went wild, screaming and getting physical with the kids.” The alleged rant continued after the plane landed, and at one point Pitt “even tried leaving in one of the fuel trucks,” TMZ notes.
According to PEOPLE magazine, the Los Angeles Police Department and L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services are both investigating the incident.
Update 10:00 a.m. CT: In a statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter, the LAPD says it’s not “actively pursuing” a criminal investigation. “To my knowledge, [Pitt talking to police] never happened,” Sgt. Barry Montgomery told THR. “And right now, that is where our office is. We are not investigating any case, nor do we have any allegations against Mr. Pitt. We understand how rumors get spun up and hopefully we can put a few of them to rest. We have no investigation involving Mr. Pitt.”
Update – 6:15 p.m. CT: A source close to Pitt spoke to PEOPLE and shared the actor’s side of the story. While Pitt acknowledges that he did get into an argument with Jolie, he maintains that there was no physical violence. Pitt “was drunk, and there was an argument between him and Angelina,” says the source. One of the couple’s older children “then got caught in the middle, literally. He stepped in front of Brad. There was a parent-child argument which was not handled in the right way and escalated more than it should have.”
“He is emphatic that it did not reach the level of physical abuse, that no one was physically harmed. He did not hit his child in the face in any way. He did not do that; he is emphatic about that. He put his hands on him, yes, because the confrontation was nose to nose and was spiraling out of control.”
PEOPLE maintains that the Department of Children and Family Services is investigating the incident. The case has also been referred to the FBI.
Through her attorney, Jolie said her decision to divorce Pitt was made “for the health of the family.” She is requesting that a judge grant Pitt visitation rights as opposed to joint custody.
