Malibu jury deadlocks in trial of surfers charged with beating paparazzo
A Malibu jury deadlocked Friday in the trial of two surfers charged with beating a French paparazzo on the beach two years ago.
The hung verdict comes after about half a dozen delays in the trial of Skylar Peak, 26, and Philip Hildebrand, 31, who were each facing one count of misdemeanor battery.
The June 2008 incident was caught on camera and spread across the Internet. A dozen paparazzi were angling for a shot of actor Matthew McConaughey when they were confronted by a group of local surfers, including Peak and Hildebrand.
“Let’s go!” shouted one surfer. “We’ll draw a line in the beach, and we’ll fight for the beach. If you guys win, you can have the beach.”
A fight broke out. Video showed a French paparazzo being hurled into the surf and kicked. Still, many in Malibu — weary of the near-constant paparazzi presence in the celebrity haven — applauded the men.
The incident galvanized support for stricter local measures to restrict paparazzi.
Peak and Hilderbrand each faced up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.
The attorney representing Rachid Aitmbareck, the paparazzo who was assaulted, said he was disappointed in the outcome.
“These men, at least in the interim, have gotten away with their offenses in the guise of protecting the community from paparazzi,” Bryan Altman said. “You would hope people would want to do the right thing regardless of the area they live in,” he said of the jury.
Proceedings will resume in July to determine if the men will be retried.
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