Man accused of attacking Brad Pitt has prior celebrity controversies

The 25-year-old man accused of battering Brad Pitt on the red carpet Wednesday night has been involved in previous red carpet controversies, including an incident earlier this month in which he crawled under actress America Ferrera’s gown at the Cannes Film Festival in southern France.

Los Angeles police said Vitalii Sediuk jumped a barricade around 7:30 p.m. at the El Capitan Theatre and battered Pitt, who was attending the premiere of “Maleficent,” which stars his longtime partner, Angelina Jolie.

Sediuk was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor battery at the LAPD Hollywood Station shortly after 10 p.m. and was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail, according to online Sheriff’s Department booking records.

“Some guy jumped over the barricades and made contact with Brad Pitt,” Officer Nuria Vanegas of the Los Angeles Police Department said.

At the Cannes festival, Ferrera and her fellow actors -- including Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington, Djimon Hounsou and Jay Baruchel -- turned around to find a security team dragging the man away from Ferrera’s dress. The actors were on the red carpet for “How to Train Your Dragon 2.”

That man was later identified as Sediuk, a Ukrainian journalist.

It wasn’t the first time Sediuk was involved in a bizarre celebrity incident.

In January, Sediuk appeared at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. He somehow found his way to “American Hustle” actor Bradley Cooper, wrapped his arms around Cooper’s legs and pressed his face against the actor.

In February 2013, Sediuk appeared on stage at the Grammys. He nearly ruined Adele’s acceptance speech for solo pop performance. The incident reportedly landed Sediuk a night in jail.

Weeks after that, Sediuk crashed the Academy Awards. He made an entrance wearing a Bjork-style swan dress accessorized by a pail full of replica Oscar statues. But he was stopped by police and told to leave.

In May 2012, Sediuk surfaced at the Moscow premiere of “Men in Black 3,” where he reportedly kissed Will Smith. The actor immediately shoved Sediuk away. As Smith made his way down the red carpet that night, he told one reporter, “[Sediuk] is lucky I didn’t sucker-punch him.”

robert.lopez@latimes.com