Louis Tomlinson's famous friends have defended him after he was arrested at LAX.
Louis Tomlinson
The 25-year-old singer was taken into police custody after an altercation with a paparazzo at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday (03.03.17) but Louis' celebrity pals insist it was a "wrongful arrest".
'Late Late Show' producer Ben Winston, who has directed a number of One Direction music videos, tweeted: "Shocked @Louis_Tomlinson was arrested. Vid clearly shows he pulls 2 girls off his gf & a pap trips. Even asks staff for help.Wrongful arrest (sic)."
And Louis' 'Just Hold On' collaborator Steve Aoki tweeted: "Wish the paparazzi respected personal space. U can still do your job without having to put your camera literally in someone's face (sic)."
The incident occurred at baggage claim at LAX, when Louis tried to stop a paparazzo from taking pictures of his girlfriend Eleanor Calder.
As he tussled with the photographer, Louis tripped and appeared to accidentally drag the snapper to the floor with him, with the man claiming he hit his head.
And the situation deteriorated when two female fans got into a physical altercation with Louis' girlfriend.
In video obtained by RadarOnline, Louis can be heard shouting "What the hell is happening?" and "Can we get some help?" before rushing over to help Eleanor, who was pushed into a corner by the two females.
Airport security then intervened and Louis and Eleanor walked away.
Louis was later arrested and booked for simple battery. He was released on $20.000 bail but is due to appear in court in Los Angeles on March 29.
His lawyer Martin Singer said: "The paparazzi provoked and caused the altercation that occurred with Louis. It's not the first time that a paparazzi has created an altercation with a celebrity. While the altercation was going on with the paparazzi, three other individuals were attacking his girlfriend during this incident and he came to her defence."
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