Cameron & Justin Call Cops on Paparazzo

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Cameron Diaz has lived with being a target of the paparazzi for years. But she won't stand for being a target of a paparazzo's car.

 

 

The Shrek star filed a police report early Tuesday in Hollywood accusing an aggressive shutterbug of assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly tried to run over her and boyfriend Justin Timberlake with his car, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed.

 

 

The incident occurred about 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday as Diaz and Timberlake were leaving a friend's home.

 

 

"A photographer hiding in the bushes attempted to snap a photo of them," said Officer Marjan Mobasser, citing Diaz's report. "Ms. Diaz and Mr. Timberlake both then chased him a short distance."

 

 

That's when the unnamed photographer allegedly hopped in his vehicle "and drove toward Ms. Diaz and Mr. Timberlake, causing Ms. Diaz to jump out of the car's way," added Mobasser. "Ms. Diaz felt the photographer was trying to hit her with his car so she filed an assault with a deadly weapon with a vehicle police report.

 

 

"No arrests have been made at this time and no suspects have been identified. An investigation is ongoing."

 

 

Detectives won't have to do much sleuthing to track down the shutterbug in question.

 

 

On Wednesday, celebrity photo agency X17 admitted to employing the photographer in question and quickly came to his defense.

 

 

"To the best of our knowledge, the pictures and video of Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz early morning were taken on a public street where there was no 'Private Drive' or 'Private Property' sign visible," the agency said in a statement. "What the photographer knows he saw and what the pictures show were at least two people verbally and physically assaulting him."

 

 

X17 also rejected allegations that the paparazzo tried to run them down with his car.

 

 

"The photographer was attempting to leave what he perceived to be a dangerous situation for him and when he tried to do so, Ms. Diaz and at least one other member of her entourage stood in front of his car in an attempt to entrap him," the agency said. "He drove around them at what he perceived to be a safe distance, as at least five members of Ms. Diaz and Mr. Timberlake's group were yelling at him, making threats against him."

 

 

The statement concluded by saying the lensman was moving with his own complaint against the couple.

 

 

Diaz's publicist Brad Cafarelli declined to comment, instead referring to a statement from the actress' attorney, Marcy Morris.

 

 

"The increasingly aggressive conduct of the paparazzi continues to be a matter of grave concern," Morris said. "There is currently a criminal investigation pending regarding the conduct of the photographers involved in this incident. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.?

 

 

This is deja vu all over again for Diaz, 34, and Timberlake, 25.

 

 

Their battles with prying eyes date back to November 2004, when a paparazzo named Saul Lazo filed a complaint with Los Angeles police accusing Diaz and Timberlake of grand theft and battery. The photog claimed the Charlie's Angel star ran after him and took his camera after he snapped a photo of them outside Hollywood's legendary Chateau Marmont Another photographer who witnessed the scene, Jose Gonzalez, later claimed that Timberlake clocked Lazo on the head.

 

 

Diaz and Timberlake's reps issued a joint statement saying the A-listers were "ambushed by two men, who jumped out of a concealed hiding place on a dark, deserted street late at night" and that "any actions by Diaz and Timberlake were merely taken in self-defense."

 

 

Lazo and Gonzalez subsequently sued the stars claiming emotional distress and physical harm. The photographers insisted they were just doing their job snapping pics of famous people when they were accosted.

 

No criminal charges were ever brought against Diaz and Timberlake and the two ended up reaching an undisclosed settlement with Lazo and Gonzalez in October 2005.

 

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