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Former Home Improvement star Jonathan Taylor Thomas allegedly kicked a police officer in the stomach prior to his arrest in Los Angeles earlier this week.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department confirmed to Us on Wednesday, September 23, that Thomas, 45, was taken into custody on Monday, September 21, following a traffic stop at Westlake Boulevard and Townsgate Road in Westlake Village.
Thomas was allegedly in the passenger seat of a car stopped by officers for “blocking traffic” when it was stopped at an intersection during a green light.
“Deputies pulled alongside the vehicle to see if the driver needed assistance,” a police spokesperson confirmed to Us. “Deputies noticed the driver was acting odd and appeared to be intoxicated. Deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for the violation and conducted a driving under the influence investigation.”
According to the LASD, Thomas (real name Jonathan Taylor Weiss) “appeared intoxicated” when he was instructed to remain inside the passenger seat of the vehicle.
“[Thomas] continually exited the vehicle and approached the deputies, distracting them from their investigation,” a police statement read. “Deputies attempted to detain [Thomas] for obstruction and public intoxication, at which point, Weiss kicked a deputy in the stomach.”
The Lion King voice actor was “arrested, transported, and booked” at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station on charges of obstructing or resisting an officer, police said.
“The case will be submitted to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration,” police said.
Us has reached out to Thomas for comment.
After starting his acting career at 9 years old, Thomas had his breakthrough playing Randy Taylor on Home Improvement, in which he starred opposite Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson, Taran Noah Smith, Zachery Ty Bryan, Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning. The classic sitcom aired on ABC from 1991 to 1999.
Thomas became a teen heartthrob, landing leading roles in teen adventure movie Wild America and the festive rom-com I’ll Be Home for Christmas in the late 1990s. However, he stepped away from acting following a string of guest appearances on Smallville, Veronica Mars and a four-episode reunion with Allen, 73, on Last Man Standing.
Allen recently spoke exclusively to Us about potential roadblocks to getting a long-awaited Home Improvement revival off the ground.
“They keep talking about how it could move forward, but they get stuck [because] there are some personality problems right now with the boys,” Allen revealed to Us in June. “They’ve got their own issues. I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. That’s a little challenging right now, to put it mildly.”
(Bryan, 44, has had a string of legal issues over the years, including DUIs arrests and alleged incidents of domestic assault.)
Earlier this year, Allen admitted to Us that he struggled to offer fatherly advice to Bryan, Thomas and Smith, 42, while they were filming Home Improvement.
“It was new to me and it took a while for me to be that [father figure]. I felt like more of a funny, mischievous older brother for quite a while — especially to the boys on Home Improvement,” he acknowledged. “It’s difficult because I said when it was easy to be a TV parent, it’s easy. When it’s difficult to be a TV parent, you really are of no value.”
Allen noted that some of his younger costars went through “personal, horrible trauma” in their adolescence.
“[For example with the] Home Improvement kids, it was so long ago and I was brand new at that and it was very difficult for me to be anywhere near a mentor or guide,” he told Us.
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