Lindsay Lohan assaulted by CA man in NYC hotel; charges dropped

NEW YORK

The 26-year-old actress told police she and three friends invited 25-year-old Christian LaBella back to her room at the W Hotel in Union Square around 4:30 a.m. after meeting him at the popular celeb nightclub, 1 Oak in Chelsea.

When he arrived, Lohan discovered photos of herself on LaBella's phone and confronted him. When Lohan refused to hand over his phone, ABC News reports LaBella threw Lohan on a bed, leaving her with scratches. Lohan left the room and had a second confrontation with LaBella, who she claims choked her from behind. That's when Lohan reportedly pulled the hotel fire alarm, disabling the elevators and summoning police to the scene.

LaBella was arrested inside the hotel a short time later. Records show LaBella, from Valley Village, Calif., is a part-time staffer for Republican Congressman John Shimkus of Illinois. Shimkus' spokesman released the following statement to ABC News.

"While no one from Congressman Shimkus' office has been contacted by Mr. LaBella following his arrest, he has been an employee in the congressman's Washington office. Obviously, the congressman does not condone his actions. As this is a legal matter for Mr. LaBella, the congressman nor his office will make further comment."

Though LaBella faced charges of harassment and misdemeanor assault, police have dropped all charges. Officials told ABC News that police will document this incident as harassment against both LaBella and Lohan.

Police sources told the news outlet that Lohan taking LaBella's phone would technically be a crime and weaken her case against him, and that her refusal of medical attention would weaken any assault complaint.

Lohan's publicist Steve Honig released the following statement:

"Lindsay was assaulted early this morning in a New York hotel. While she did sustain some injuries, she was not hospitalized. The assailant was arrested and is currently in police custody. Lindsay has spoken with police and is fully cooperating with the investigation."

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