‘Child welfare incident’ alleged as Pitt, Jolie prepare to divorce
LAPD says it is not investigating Pitt
LOS ANGELES — The FBI was informed of “a child welfare” incident involving actor Brad Pitt on an international flight last week, according to a law enforcement official.
The allegation involved unruly behavior by Pitt while airborne with his child present, the source said Thursday.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services is now conducting an investigation into Pitt’s behavior while the family was flying on a private jet from France to the United States, the source said.
TMZ first reported allegations that the Los Angeles Police Department and DCFS were investigating Pitt following an incident at an out-of-state airport involving Angelina Jolie and their children. The website claims Pitt was physically and verbally abusive with his children during a flight on a private jet on Sept. 14. TMZ alleges Pitt tried to drive off in a fuel truck after the plane landed.
The website reported that an anonymous report was sent to the family services department.
On Thursday, the LAPD denied claims that its detectives were investigating childabuse allegations involving Pitt. “LAPD is not handling any reports or allegations into child abuse for Mr. Pitt,” spokeswoman Officer Jenny Houser said Thursday.
The department’s Juvenile Division, which would handle high-profile child-abuse cases, has no open investigation into Pitt, Detective Meghan Aguilar said. She said that LAPD officials called TMZ to inform them they were not investigating Pitt. “I don’t know if they just don’t believe us,” she said.
DCFS spokesman Armand Montiel said he could not comment on whether the department was investigating. “The law does not allow us to confirm or deny the subjects of our investigations,” he said.
Jolie’s attorney, Laura Wasser, declined to comment.
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on Monday, citing irreconcilable differences, but didn’t elaborate on what those differences are.
She is seeking sole physical custody and joint legal custody of their six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne. In the Los Angeles County Superior Court filing, Jolie said she was willing to give her husband visitation rights.
The separation date is listed as Sept. 15. Jolie and Pitt were legally married Aug. 14, 2014, after a two-year engagement.
The couple met while working on the movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and got together in August 2005.
Jolie is seeking property in the divorce, including miscellaneous jewelry and other personal effects, her earnings and accumulations from and after the date of separation, and “additional separate property assets and obligations of the parties, the exact nature of and extent of which are not presently known.”
In a 2015 interview with the Telegraph, Pitt gushed about parenthood.
“Everyone talks about the joy of having kids — blah, blah, blah. But I never knew how much I could love something until I looked in the faces of my children,” the actor said, describing his family unit as sharing “a lot of love, a lot of fighting, a lot of refereeing; a lot of teeth-brushing and spilling … Chaos, total chaos. But so much fun.”
It’s unclear what effect, if any, reports of the incident would have on the couple’s pending divorce.
“I think judges have to ask, what evidence do we have? Is anything being alleged even relevant? If nobody got hurt, a judge might say this is not even by itself going to be relevant to this decision,” said Scott Altman, a USC law professor and family law expert.