Chumlee of ‘Pawn Stars’ stands ground in incident
A road trip to Hollywood took a scary turn for Austin "Chumlee" Russell of "Pawn Stars."
Russell said his sidekicks went into self-defense mode when a man aggressively approached them on Hollywood Boulevard over the weekend and demanded a ride in their Rolls Royce.
A video that appeared on TMZ.com on Thursday appears to back up Russell's story.
The man appears to be arguing with Chumlee's party while the reality show star was looking on from a few feet away. A member of Russell's entourage is seen trying to talk the man into moving away from Russell, who was standing next to the front passenger door.
When the man threatened to pull a gun, "Instinct just took over," Russell told TMZ. "(The man) didn't even know I was on TV or anything ... just wanted to ride in our car and start problems."
When the man is coaxed about 10 feet away, a member of Russell's group is seen landing a haymaker that knocks the man to the ground. Another member of the reality star's party is seen kicking him before they all jump in the car and drive away.
The video shows the man's head bleeding profusely as he staggers to his feet and walks away.
The incident is certain to cause a stir in Russell's staid neighborhood at Las Vegas Country Club.
Russell leased a mansion earlier this year on Augusta Drive, one of the most prestigious streets in Las Vegas. Past and present residents on the famous cul-de-sac include billionaire Sheldon Adelson, the late award-winning director George Sidney (of "Viva Las Vegas" fame), entertainment icons Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, the Maloof family and legendary attorney Sam Arnold.
"It's like a frat house over there, but they are well-behaved kids," one of Russell's neighbors told me.
SIGHTINGS
Cleveland Cavaliers star guard Kyrie Irving, the NBA's 2012 rookie of the year, racing a Ferrari 458 Italia at more than 120 mph on Thursday at Exotics Racing near Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The No. 1 overall draft pick a year ago is in town as a member of the USA Basketball Select Team. ... Taking in Terry Fator (Mirage) and Human Nature (Imperial Palace) this week: athletic directors Jim Livengood (UNLV), Joe Castiglione (Oklahoma), Dave Hart (Tennessee), Ron Wellman (Wake Forest), Kevin White (Duke), Dutch Baughman (executive director of the Division I Athletic Directors' Association), Bob Bowlsby, who left as Stanford's AD in June to become the commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, and consultant Todd Turner, a former AD at Washington, Vanderbilt, North Carolina State and Connecticut. The group has been holding get-togethers in various cities for 15 years.
THE PUNCH LINE
"The Saints have offered quarterback Drew Brees a five-year, $100 million contract. That's even better than Katie Holmes' deal." - Jimmy Fallon
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
