Cuba Gooding Jr. turned himself into New York City police Thursday afternoon amid allegations he “forcibly touched” a woman at a Manhattan club on Sunday night.
With his lawyer at his side, the Oscar-winning actor walked into the NYPD's sex crimes precinct in Harlem on Thursday to face questioning over the Sunday incident and possible charges, just hours after a second woman reportedly claimed to have also been groped by Gooding Jr. over a decade ago. The 51-year-old has denied all allegations of misconduct.
"There's a tape that shows what really happened," Gooding Jr. told TMZ, adding that he has evidence to prove his innocence. "I believe in the system and let the process speak for itself."
The 29-year-old woman, who has not been identified by authorities, reported she was at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in Times Square at 11:15 p.m. with friends when noticed Gooding Jr. “heavily intoxicated” and offered him a cup of water, a senior NYPD official told The Daily Beast. The two were in the middle of a conversation when the actor groped her breasts, spurring an “argument” between the two. The woman told police she left the bar and immediately called 911.
While Gooding Jr. was no longer on the scene when authorities arrived, police were able to confirm his presence at Magic Hour with bar staff and video surveillance footage, the official told The Daily Beast.
His defense attorney, Mark J. Heller, also denied the allegation to The Daily Beast on Thursday, adding that the “almost two hours of tape” reviewed by his team and authorities prove there is no criminal behavior.
“We have reviewed the tapes, and we do not see any criminal conduct having been perpetrated on his part,” Heller said. “He respects women. I’ve known him for over 30 years, this is not something he would do.”
On Thursday, a second woman reportedly accused the “The People v. O.J. Simpson” star of grabbing her butt in 2008 a brief meeting at Butter Restaurant in Manhattan, the New York Daily News reported. New York, however, has a five year statute of limitations on these types of sexual assaults so it is not immediately clear if the actor will be charged or questioned on these allegations.
This is not the first time Gooding Jr. faced similar charges. In 2012, “Jerry Maguire” star allegedly pushed a New Orleans bartender. The female bartender at Old Absinthe House, who was not identified, told police Gooding Jr. became angry when patrons began to recognize him and ask to take pictures with him.
When the bartender asked the actor to calm down, he allegedly pushed her away so harshly it prompted another employee to call the police. The bartender eventually dropped the charges.
