"Why did you kill that lady?": Alec Baldwin smacks away person's phone when targeted at cafe

The actor lost his temper after receiving bizarre verbal attacks regarding "Rust" and Palestine — caught on video

Published April 24, 2024 11:02PM (EDT)

Alec Baldwin is seen out running errands on February 27, 2024 in New York, New York. (MEGA/GC Images/Getty)
Alec Baldwin is seen out running errands on February 27, 2024 in New York, New York. (MEGA/GC Images/Getty)

Alec Baldwin is making headlines again for that famous temper of his. On Monday, a video began circulating showing him slapping away an artist known as Crackhead Barney's phone when confronted at a coffee shop just feet away from his New York City home. 

In the video, Barney approaches Baldwin at the cafe, pressuring the actor to say “free Palestine,” blocks away from NYU students forming a “Gaza solidarity encampment” on the school’s campus Monday afternoon. Managing to ignore this request, Baldwin visibly lost his cool when Barney added, "Why did you kill that lady?" Referring to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed on the set of “Rust” during a 2021 mishap, in which Baldwin pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges.

“You killed that lady and got no jail time? No jail time, Alec?” Barney said as Baldwin asked employees to remove them from the store, taking matters into his own hands when they didn't. 

The three-time Golden Globes winner has found his career seemingly derailed after Hutchins’ death, facing investigations and charges in New Mexico, where “Rust” filming resumed last year. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was sentenced this month to 18 months in prison.

Charges against Baldwin, which were initially dropped in 2023, have been re-filed.

The incident comes just months after the “30 Rock” actor shouted at pro-Palestinian demonstrators before being escorted away by police. He reportedly told protestors to “Shut the f**k up” as they pressed him on his stance on the conflict.

Baldwin’s frequent public outbursts have a deep history, including a 2018 incident when a New York man accused him of punching him over a parking spot. The two settled out of court on the matter. Baldwin also publicly feuded with American Airlines over his removal from a flight in 2011, which the airline claimed was due to his rude and unruly behavior.


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