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Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn has been slapped with criminal charges after allegedly attacking a photographer in Los Angeles last year, city prosecutors said.
Penn, 49, was charged with misdemeanour battery and vandalism following the incident involving the photographer in the upmarket district of Brentwood on October 2 last year, the Los Angeles City Attorneys Office confirmed.
Penn, who is alleged to have kicked his victim in the leg, is to be arraigned on March 22.
If convicted of the misdemeanour counts, Penn faces a maximum of 18 months in jail, according to a spokesman for the lawyer's office.
Penn won best actor Oscars for his performances in Mystic River and Milk. He was also nominated for his work in Dead Man Walking, I Am Sam and Sweet and Lowdown.
Penn has a history of violent confrontations with photographers. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail in 1987, serving roughly half that time behind bars, after attacking a photographer on a film set.
