Vitalii Sediuk
| Vitalii Sediuk | |
|---|---|
| Born |
14 November 1988 Boryspil, Ukraine, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Occupation | Reporter |
Vitalii Sediuk (Ukrainian: Віталій Седюк) (born November 14, 1988) is a Ukrainian media personality.
He has become known for assaulting a number of American celebrities at events such as film premieres and awards ceremonies. On several of these occasions, he has gained access to otherwise restricted areas with the use of press credentials from his former employer, Ukrainian TV channel 1+1. In interviews, he has denied his conduct amounts to stalking and has stated he is not "crazy."
On 28 May 2014, Sediuk was arrested by Los Angeles police after running onto the red carpet at the premier of Maleficent at the El Capitan Theater and making contact with Brad Pitt, breaking the actor's glasses. Though apparently unharmed, Pitt cut short autograph signing after the attack and was granted an emergency restraining order against Sediuk. Initial stories reported that Sediuk had punched Pitt in the face, though a statement Pitt made in the aftermath of the attack provided different details:
I was at the end of the line signing autographs, when out the corner of my eye I saw someone stage-diving over the barrier at me. I took a step back; this guy had latched onto my lapels. I looked down and the nutter was trying to bury his face in my crotch, so I cracked him twice in the back of the head -- not too hard -- but enough to get his attention, because he did let go. I think he was then just grabbing for a hand hold because the guys were on him, and he reached up and caught my glasses.
In the aftermath of the attack, prosecutors announced they would seek an unprecedented court order banning Sediuk from any events connected with the entertainment industry in Los Angeles.
Sediuk was held in the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail after failing to post $20,000 bail, and was indicted on 30 May 2014 on charges of assault and battery. Sediuk was also charged with unlawful activity at a sporting, theatrical event, or exhibition, relating to his 2013 Oscars stunt, and prosecution for which had been deferred at the time of the incident on condition of his good behavior for three years. Sediuk pleaded no contest to all charges and was sentenced to 20 days of community service, $440 in court costs, and ordered to undergo psychological counseling for one year.
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