Former "Home Improvement" star Jonathan Taylor Thomas was arrested in Malibu after allegedly kicking a sheriff's deputy in the stomach during a traffic stop, authorities reported.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the longtime actor was held on suspicion of obstruction and public intoxication following the Sept. 21 morning stop, the Daily Caller reported.
Thomas was a passenger in a vehicle that law enforcement said had stopped in an intersection and was blocking traffic. Police alleged he was told to stay in the car, did not comply, and kicked a deputy in the stomach as the officer moved to arrest him.
He was booked for obstructing and resisting an officer, processed at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station jail on Monday, and released from custody Tuesday.
TMZ first circulated the account of the alleged kick and the department's description of the stop. Thomas's representatives declined to comment, according to that outlet. He does not maintain a social media account of his own.
No injury to the deputy was described in the available police account. No driver was named, and the precise reason for the initial stop beyond the blocked intersection was not detailed beyond the department's summary.
Thomas became famous in the 1990s as Randy Taylor on the hit sitcom "Home Improvement," one of the decade's most watched family shows. Like many former child stars, he later stepped back from constant public view while remaining a recognizable name to millions of viewers who grew up with the series.
That history does not change the core facts police put forward. A passenger who leaves a stopped car after being told to stay put, then allegedly strikes a deputy during an arrest, faces obstruction and resisting charges for a reason. Public intoxication only compounds the problem when it ends in a physical clash with law enforcement.
Los Angeles County deputies handle heavy traffic and tourist corridors in Malibu every week. When a stop in an intersection turns into a fight at the car door, the officer has to regain control on the spot. The booking sheet, not celebrity nostalgia, decides what happens next.
Thomas was processed, held, and released on the department's timeline. His reps said nothing. The allegations of a kick to a deputy's stomach, noncompliance, obstruction, and public intoxication still stand as the official record of the stop.
Fame gets you recognized at a traffic stop. It does not get you a free pass to ignore lawful orders or put hands, or feet, on a deputy.
