Lack of Jury Delays Battery Trial of Actor Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin was in Van Nuys Municipal Court on Wednesday, ready to begin his battery trial for allegedly socking a member of the paparazzi in the face.

The media horde was there, looking for live shots of the sleekly groomed Baldwin--star of “The Hunt for Red October” and “The Marrying Man” and husband of movie star Kim Basinger. Baldwin faces up to six months in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor charge.

Jury selection did not begin until almost the end of the day because prospective jurors were sent to a jury pool for a felony trial.

Baldwin faces one misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly breaking 51-year-old Alan Zanger’s nose last October in Woodland Hills after Zanger videotaped Baldwin arriving home from the hospital with Basinger and their newborn daughter.

Thus began a cycle familiar to celebrity watchers: Zanger, a well-known member of the Hollywood paparazzi, placed Baldwin under citizen’s arrest, and days later filed a lawsuit against him. Baldwin sued Zanger, and the Los Angeles city attorney’s office filed the charges against the actor.

Jury selection is scheduled to continue today.