News

Actions

Cuba Gooding, Jr. surrenders over alleged groping incident

Posted at 2:40 PM, Jun 13, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-13 16:41:44-04
Cuba-Gooding-Jr-surrenders
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. arrives at the New York Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit, Thursday, June 13, 2019 to face allegations he groped a woman at a city night spot. A 29-year-old woman told police the 51-year-old Gooding grabbed her breast while he was intoxicated around 11:15 p.m. Sunday. Gooding denies the allegations. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

NEW YORK – Actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. surrendered to police for questioning in an alleged groping incident.

He is charged with a misdemeanor count of forcible touching after a 29-year-old woman claims the actor grabbed her breast at a bar in New York on Sunday. A law enforcement source told CNN the woman “protested the unwanted touching” and argued with Gooding about the encounter.

Gooding has denied the accusation and his attorney, Mark Heller, says surveillance footage shows no criminal activity on the actor’s part. “In my 50 years almost of practicing law, I have never seen a case like this one because there is not a scintilla of criminal culpability that can be attributed to Mr. Cuba Gooding Jr. after I have extensively, with my staff, reviewed the video of almost two hours, which reflects the entire event for which we are here today,” Heller said.

Gooding was taken to a court appearance shortly after he surrendered, where Heller said he would plead not guilty to the charge.