Baldwin arrest concerns Calgary event organizer
Actor scheduled to appear at the city’s Owen Hart Foundation fundraiser
Organizers of a local event in late November set to feature Alec Baldwin say they were shocked to hear the actor was arrested in New York City Friday.
Authorities in New York have charged Baldwin with assault and harassment after he was arrested for allegedly striking a man in the face during a dispute over a parking spot outside the actor’s home.
Baldwin was taken into custody just before 2 p.m. Friday in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighbourhood. He was released two hours later. A court appearance has been scheduled for Nov. 26.
The Owen Hart Foundation is scheduled to mark its 19th anniversary with an event on Nov. 30 called An Evening with Alec Baldwin.
Martha Hart, the founder and director of the foundation, said organizers are aware of the situation and are “very concerned about what’s happening.”
“We are in discussions with Alec Baldwin’s agent, and as soon as we have more information we can make a more informed decision about how to proceed,” she said.
“We certainly do not want to damage the stellar reputation of The Owen Hart Foundation and its sponsors and donors. But at the same time, Alec Baldwin, he is an exceptional talent and we certainly want to give him the benefit of the doubt and don’t want to make any premature judgments until we are completely informed about the details about the incident.”
Police say Baldwin claimed he had a family member holding a parking spot when a man driving a station wagon pulled up and took it.
Officials say the men were arguing and pushing each other before the 60-year-old Baldwin hit the other man.
The 49-year-old station wagon driver was taken to a hospital with jaw pain.
Baldwin walked silently past reporters and photographers to a waiting SUV on Friday. His publicist did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.
Hart noted the Calgary event is only four weeks away. She said organizers are not taking the charges lightly.
“But at the same time, because it is premature, we just don’t want to make any rash decisions,” she said.
The Nov. 30 event is billed as featuring impersonations, video clips and political insights from the performer.
The Owen Hart Foundation’s annual event has raised funds for education, affordable housing and foreign aid to vulnerable individuals, the foundation said. Previous performers at the fundraiser have included Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Martin Short and Elvis Costello.
Baldwin’s past scrapes with the law include a 2014 arrest in New York City for bicycling the wrong way on a one-way street and a 1995 arrest for allegedly slugging a paparazzi photographer in Los Angeles.