Actor from 'The Wire' Arrested at Hotel in Atlanta

Pictured, Wendell Pierce. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

By FEROZE DHANOA (Patch National Staff)

ATLANTA, GA - Wendell Pierce, the actor best known for his role in the HBO drama The Wire, was arrested in Atlanta on Saturday after he became physical while arguing with a woman and her two friends over politics, police said.

According to an incident report released by police, a female victim told police she was sitting in the hallway of the 23rd floor in Atlanta Loews Hotel when Pierce and his girlfriend exited the elevator and began a conversation about politics with the group.

Pierce became upset during the conversation, according to the report.

The victim told police that Pierce began to push her when she and her friends began to walk to their room, the police report said. Pierce followed the woman and her friend to their room and stuck his arm in the door to try to enter the room, police said.

While the victim and her friends tried to push Pierce out of the room, he began to hit her in the head and grabbed her hoodie, ripping the hood off, police said.

Pierce told police he followed the woman and her two friend to their room and was standing outside when he was grabbed by the victim and her two friends who attempted to pull him in as he was getting away, according to the police report. Pierce's girlfriend told police they were not even staying on the floor in question and their room was on the 18th floor.

Pierce was charged with simple battery.

Both Pierce and the female victim denied medical assistance but their injuries were photographed by police.

Since his arrest, Pierce said he would not appear at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J. as the commencement speaker.

Pierce played Detective "Bunk" Moreland on The Wire, which aired on HBO from 2002 to 2008. He is still connected to Baltimore, pledging to contribute to a $20 million revitalization project in Station North following the 2015 unrest.