Two Malibu Men Plead Not Guilty to Battery Charge in Paparazzi Skirmish

• Pre-Trial Hearing Set for Jan. 14

BY ANNE SOBLE

Two longtime Point Dume residents pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges they attacked a paparazzo taking photos of neighbor and actor Matthew McConaughey on Little Dume Beach this summer.
Skylar Peak, 24, and Philip John Hildebrand, 30, are charged with misdemeanor battery in a June 21 melee between local beachgoers, described as “surfers” in the national and international media, against paparazzi.
Jan. 14 has been set as the date for a pre-trial hearing, and a trial date of Feb. 2 is tentatively slated for the Malibu court calendar.
The two men are accused of throwing Richid Altmbareckouhammou and his equipment into the surf. The French agency photographer was among a dozen paparazzi jostling to shoot McConaughey as he surfed when the locals attempted to dissuade them, and tensions escalated.
Discernibly edited video of the brawl, which supports the paparazzo’s contentions, dominated celebrity Web sites that purchase pap film and photos, and the story reverberated around the world.
Charges were not filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office until Sept. 2.
Peak’s attorney, Harland Braun, told the Malibu Surfside News that he is “surprised they even filed this case.” He notes that Peak “was injured, had a knife pulled on him, and a swinging pole [possibly, a tripod] is seen on the tape.”
Braun said a matter like this would normally “have been set for a hearing in the DA’s office, not gone to criminal court.”
The attorney added, “The paparazzi want confrontation and sensationalism.” He said that video that has been edited in that context should not qualify as evidence.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department issued a public call for unedited video immediately after the Little Dume altercation took place, but reportedly no other footage has been obtained.
James Garrison, the deputy in charge at the Malibu office of the district attorney, said he would not comment on the case until it is over. Courtroom argument for the prosecution is being handled by Deputy DA William Clark.
If convicted, Peak and Hildebrand face a possible maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $2000 fine.