Baldwin vs. Photographer on East Hampton Village Street

Four East Hampton Village police cars and several officers on foot converged on Herrick Park on Newtown Lane Sunday morning in response to an apparent altercation between Alec Baldwin and a photographer who had been trailing the actor and his wife and 1-year-old daughter. It had drawn the attention of a nearby police officer, who called for backup.

Mr. Baldwin, his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, and daughter, Carmen, were on Newtown Lane when Matt Agudo, a photographer who had been shooting photos with a long-distance lens, approached the family. Mr. Agudo claimed that when he got close Mr. Baldwin grabbed him on both biceps, thrusting him backward.

With the two men separated, and a number of people watching from across the street, Mr. Agudo told the officer he would not press charges if Mr. Baldwin would apologize. Mr. Agudo said Mr. Baldwin did. No police report was available on Sunday to corroborate what was said to have occurred.

Mr. Baldwin is a resident of Amagansett and Manhattan and a participant here in civic and cultural events as well as a major donor to local causes. In a letter to the editor of The East Hampton Star published on Oct. 8, 2013, he wrote that paparazzi had been "lying in wait, like kidnappers and home invaders do, then abruptly popping up to find the desired moment to take advantage. . . ." The letter mentioned two photographers who had stalked him in Amagansett and East Hampton, but he named only one, who was not Mr. Agudo.

Mr. Baldwin has had numerous encounters with photographers, reporters, and even the police over the years, in which he has been accused of pushing, shoving, or cursing. He was arrested in New York City in May on a charge of disorderly conduct after two officers stopped him for riding his bicycle the wrong way on Fifth Avenue near his Greenwich Village apartment. The case was adjourned in July, with the charge scheduled to be dismissed if Mr. Baldwin was not arrested again within a specific time frame.