According to a cafe owner named Leo Rojas who witnessed the incident, Rudd was trying to fight a much larger man on the pavement.
- Dec 4, 2014
AceShowbiz - AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, who recently was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill, was arrested again on Thursday, December 4 in New Zealand. According to various news outlets, the musician was arrested after he was involved in a scuffle on the pavement with a witness from his ongoing case.
The musician is accused of violating his probation by associating with witnesses, but his lawyer said that it was "chance meeting." Rudd was told to stay off drugs and later was released on bail.
An owner of Columbus Coffee cafe on Cameron Road in Tauranga described the scuffle to NZ Herald, saying that Rudd tried to fight a much bigger man. "I thought the big guy was trying to abuse an old man. Then I realized it was the old man trying to fight the big guy," the cafe owner Leo Rojas said. He at first tried to separate the two, but he got pushed back.
At one point, the big man pushed Rudd, causing him to fall. Rudd later got pushed again after he tried to prevent him from leaving. "Phil shouted out, 'That's why you don't work with the mafia.' It was weird," Rojas recalled. "The big guy is saying, 'Phil, get out of my way. That's why I don't work for you anymore.' Phil was saying, 'Motherf****r.' " A bodyguard then held Rudd so that the man could get into his car.
Rudd was arrested last month for allegedly making threats and drugs possession. He was originally accused of plotting murder, but the charge was dropped due to insufficient evidence. He pleaded not guilty to the charges recently. He is set to make another court appearance on February 10 for a case review hearing.
