Jonathan Taylor Thomas was taken into custody after Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies say an early-morning traffic stop escalated when the former Home Improvement star interfered with a DUI investigation and kicked a deputy.
Thomas, 45, was a passenger in a vehicle deputies encountered in Westlake Village shortly after midnight on Sept. 21. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the driver appeared intoxicated and was undergoing field sobriety tests when Thomas repeatedly got out of the vehicle and approached deputies, according to People.
Deputies attempted to detain Thomas for obstruction and public intoxication, at which point the department alleges that he kicked one deputy in the stomach. Thomas was then booked at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and remained in custody for more than 34 hours before his release.
His booking was subsequently reclassified as a detention rather than an arrest, and no criminal charges had been filed as of the latest reports. The sheriff’s department said the case would still be submitted to prosecutors for consideration.
Deputies Say Thomas Kept Leaving the Vehicle During the DUI Investigation
Deputies first noticed a vehicle stopped at Westlake Boulevard and Townsgate Road despite a green light, blocking traffic at the intersection. When they approached to determine whether the driver needed assistance, they said the driver appeared intoxicated and began a DUI investigation.
Thomas was sitting in the passenger seat but allegedly continued exiting the vehicle and approaching deputies as they conducted field sobriety tests. The sheriff’s department said he was told to remain inside but failed to follow those instructions and continued interrupting the investigation.
When deputies moved to detain him for obstruction and public intoxication, Thomas allegedly kicked one of them in the stomach, according to NBC Los Angeles. He was taken into custody, while the driver was separately arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Thomas has not publicly addressed the department’s account, and his representatives have not issued a statement responding to the allegation that he kicked the deputy.
Thomas Spent More Than 34 Hours in Custody but Has Not Been Charged
Thomas was taken into custody at approximately 12:32 a.m. and booked at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station shortly before 2 a.m. He was initially booked on suspicion of obstruction and public intoxication before being released the following afternoon.
Records later classified the encounter as a detention rather than an arrest. No formal criminal complaint had been filed against Thomas as of Sept. 24, although the case can still be reviewed by prosecutors.
Even after the custody record was reclassified, the sheriff’s department continued to allege that Thomas interfered with the DUI investigation and kicked a deputy, while no charges had been filed and no court had ruled on those claims.
Just Jared reported that prosecutors had not filed charges at the time of the initial update.
The Incident Came After a Rare ‘Home Improvement’ Reunion
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The police encounter came less than two months after Thomas resurfaced in a rare photograph with two of his former Home Improvement castmates.
Patricia Richardson shared a July photo with Thomas and Taran Noah Smith, who played her onscreen sons Randy and Mark Taylor on the ABC sitcom. She captioned the reunion, “My other boys.”
Thomas has largely remained outside the public eye since stepping away from acting after growing up on television. He played Randy Taylor throughout most of Home Improvement‘s run and also voiced young Simba in Disney’s 1994 animated The Lion King.
His other film credits include Man of the House, Tom and Huck, Wild America and I’ll Be Home for Christmas. He later reunited with his former television father Tim Allen for several appearances on Last Man Standing between 2013 and 2015.