Oscar-award winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. has been charged with forcible touching. Gooding Jr. handed himself in to police on Thursday after he was accused of groping a woman in a Manhattan nightclub — he was charged minutes after.
The incident took place at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in Manhattan on Sunday evening. Surveillance footage of the incident has surfaced, where Gooding is shown touching the woman’s leg and breast. The woman then confronts Gooding before security intervenes. The 29-year-old woman told police that Gooding grabbed her breast at around 11.15pm.
Gooding denies the allegations. Mark Heller, Gooding’s lawyer, claims that the security video will acquit the actor. “We have reviewed extensively the video of every minute he was in that facility,” Heller told The Times. “I can tell you that there was not a scintilla of criminal culpability.”
After reviewing the security footage, Heller said he was hesitant to allow Gooding to hand himself in, but decided to proceed. He has expressed his surprise that police and prosecutors were moving forward with the case.
In an interview with TMZ filmed prior to the arrest, Gooding has maintained that he is innocent. “I trust the system and the process,” he said. “There’s a tape that shows what really happened. That’s the most important thing.”
Police have stated that they are investigating a second groping allegation made against Cuba Gooding Jr., dating back to 2008. They offered no details, but have confirmed that the women involved in the case came forward after she saw news reports of the incident on Sunday.
