Brad Pitt abuse allegations relate to son

LOS ANGELES — Allegations Brad Pitt was abusive on a private plane last week relate to the actor’s treatment toward his 15-year-old son, sources said on Friday, as the FBI continued to gather information before determining whether to open an investigation.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the agency hasn’t made a decision on a formal investigation into what occurred on a plane ferrying Pitt, his wife, Angelina Jolie Pitt, and their six children.

Several news outlets have reported that a child-welfare agency in Los Angeles is investigating the well-being of the children, who range in ages from eight to 15.

Sources familiar with the allegations, but not authorized to speak publicly, said the investigation centres on Pitt’s treatment of his son Maddox, 15, during an argument on the Sept. 14 flight. No law-enforcement agency responded to the plane when it landed in Minnesota.

Amara Suarez, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, said the agency could not confirm whether it was investigating Pitt or the well-being of the former couple’s children.

Calls to the offices of Pitt’s attorney, Lance Spiegel, and Jolie Pitt’s lawyer, Laura Wasser, were forwarded to recorded messages stating their firms do not comment on clients.

Jolie Pitt filed for divorce Monday and her lawyer released a statement the next day saying she came to the decision “for the health of the family.” She listed their separation date as Sept. 15, the day after the alleged plane incident, and the actress is seeking sole custody of all six of the children.

Koochiching County, Minnesota, Sheriff Perryn Hedlund told the Associated Press on Thursday that Pitt was on a plane that landed at the International Falls, Minnesota, airport on Sept. 14.

Hedlund said his sheriff’s deputies were not called to the airport. He said he didn’t know why the plane landed there.

Pitt and Jolie Pitt — known as “Brangelina” — were together for 12 years, but only wed in 2014.

Their six children include 15-year-old Maddox, 12-year-old Pax, 11-year-old Zahara, 10-yearold Shiloh, and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

This is the second marriage for Pitt, 52, who previously wed Jennifer Aniston. It’s the third for Jolie Pitt, 41, who was previously married to Billy Bob Thornton and Jonny Lee Miller.