Irish American actor Bill Murray got into a dispute with a well-respected photographer at a Martha's Vineyard restaurant.
According to a police report, actor and comedian Murray accosted photographer Peter Simon at Oak Bluffs restaurant, Lola's.
The "Groundhog Day" star is believed to have grabbed the 71-year-old photographer and slammed him up against a wall.
Simon told the Boston Globe that he was on assignment taking pictures at the restaurant for The Martha's Vineyard Times and stepped aside to check the images on his camera.
The photographer, who is the brother of "You're So Vain" singer Carly Simon, alleges that Murray told him he would throw him out of the restaurant and cause him bodily harm while using expletives.
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Simon told the paper he asked the man, “Do you know who I am?” to imply that he was a photographer working for the respected local newspaper. Simon says that the actor retaliated by asking, "Do you know who I am?"
Simon added that he did not recognize the "Ghostbusters" star due to his aging appearance.
“He doesn’t look anything like he used to look,” Simon told the paper.
After the altercation, Simon continued to take photos for his assignment - but alleges that Murray came up to him later in the night and poured a glass of water over him and his camera.
“He treated me like the scum of the earth,” Simon said - noting that the 67-year-old actor did not feature in any of the images he had taken.
Simon has no pressed charges as of yet - but insisted that he has not ruled it out.
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While Murray could not be reached for comment by the paper, Lola's owner Katherine Domitrovich reportedly told police that Simon had “no business photographing anyone in the restaurant and was generally annoying." She also implied that Simon found out that Murray would be at the restaurant, and came by to secure a picture of the father-of-six.
Actor Bill Murray involved in altercation with photographer Peter Simon at Lola’s restaurant in Oak Bluffs #marthasvineyard https://t.co/tB6zMT0Nxb
— MV Times (@TheMVTimes) August 10, 2018
Simon claims that The Marotta Brothers Band invited him to cover their gig at the restaurant. Jamie Kageleiry, the associate publisher for The Martha’s Vineyard Times, confirmed that his assignment was to photograph the band and people enjoying the music - the paper were unaware that Murray would be in attendance, she added.
I'll bet Peter Simon thinks this tweet is about him.
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) August 11, 2018
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