Originally posted Tuesday, October 9, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Georgia resident Katt Williams can't escape trouble.
Over the weekend, he was arrested yet again, this time after being accused of assaulting a driver in Portland because the chauffeur wouldn’t let William’s dog sit in the passenger seat. The chauffeur has already sued for damages. According to TMZ, he remains in a Portland jail. He missed a court date last month in Georgia and has a warrant out for his arrest.
The Emmy-winning comedian who once headlined Philips (now State Farm) Arena was chased last month into a supermarket after allegedly verbally threatening V-103 host Wanda Smith. He told the cops Smith’s husband pointed a gun at him. Smith’s husband said that was not the case and Williams did not press charges.
Here is an incomplete but still exhausting list of other arrests or near arrests over the years:
November 13, 2006: he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after a stolen gun was found in his briefcase. He was later sentenced to three year's probation and given credit for three days in jail.
November 2009: Williams was charged with criminal trespass and burglary of a residence in Coweta County and accused of stealing coins and jewelry.
December, 2009: he was detained for questioning but not arrested outside a Newnan Walmart after family members of his girlfriend confronted him.
June, 2011: Williams was arrested after being accused of intimidating a witness in Los Angeles but ultimately he was never charged. A man said three women attacked him with rocks and Williams got in the middle of it.
August 2011: he was caught on video fighting with a promoter at a Young Jeezy concert in Arizona.
November, 2011: he was questioned but not arrested about an alleged shoplifting incident at a Best Buy in Ohio.
November, 2012: a rapper in Berkeley, Calif. sued Williams, alleging the comic bashed him in the head with a bottle on a tour bus. Williams was arrested but ultimately released and not charged.
November, 2012: he left a show early and an attendee filed a class-action lawsuit seeking compensation.
November, 2012: in Sacramento, he led police on a slow chase while riding a three-wheeled motorbike. He was later arrested after missing a court date related to the incident.
December, 2012: he was arrested in Seattle on charges stemming from a bar incident after brandishing a pool cue and supposedly throwing a rock at a car.
December, 2012: Williams was arrested after being accused of child endangerment after weapons were found in his home.
October, 2014: Williams and Suge Knight were arrested for allegedly stealing a photographer’s camera in Beverly Hills. Williams avoided jail time by pleading no contest.
Feb. 28, 2016: Williams and his entourage and security team were accused of physically attacking and stealing cellphones from five women who were visiting Atlanta for the weekend.
Feb. 29, 2016: Williams was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge in Gainesville after Williams allegedly punched a pool supply store employee.
March 8: Williams was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill his bodyguard.
March 11, 2016: Williams was transferred to the Fulton County jail from Hall County. He was charged with entering an auto, theft by taking and simple battery in connection with the cellphone incident.
March 23, 2016: A video shows Williams fighting an Atlanta teenager. He allegedly threw the first punch.
April 27, 2016: Williams allegedly threw a salt shaker at a Spindivits restaurant manager in East Point, bloodying the man's lip. He was booked for battery.
July 24, 2016: He was arrested after a spat with a female employee of the Sportsmen's Lodge, a Ventura Boulevard hotel, according to the Los Angeles Times. He appeared in court in August.
Sept. 15, 2016: Williams was jailed in Fulton County on a charge of criminal damage to property in the second degree. He was released on a $10,000 signature bond.
Dec. 2, 2016: Williams was banned from Hall and Dawson counties and ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution and perform 100 hours of community service in a negotiated deal after pleading no contest to some charges in connection with the alleged February assault against his bodyguard.