It seems that a mea culpa statement from Will Smith was not enough to just shrug off the scandalous slap that the actor planted on the face of Chris Rock during Sunday's Oscars ceremony, as prosecutors are now seeking to charge Smith with a criminal offence.
The push for legal action comes despite the fact that Rock himself said he was not going to press charges against Smith.
However, according to a former Los Angeles district attorney, it is not up to the victim to decide whether charges are pressed by a prosecutor.
"Charges actually can and should be filed because the offence was against the state of California. It’s not Chris Rock versus Will Smith in a criminal matter. The LAPD and the city attorney should not close the door on what was an obvious criminal offence and is easily provable”, Steve Cooley, who served as the Los Angeles County district attorney from 2000 to 2012, told the New York Post.
Cooley said that California authorities should proceed with the case, suggesting that Smith could be charged with simple misdemeanour battery.
The investigation into the scandalous incident is currently ongoing, with the media still not over the shocking slap that occurred during Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. After Chris Rock joked about Smith's wife's alopecia, the actor has lost it, went up on stage, and slapped the comedian in the face.
However, Smith apologised shortly after the incident when he returned to the stage to collect his own very first Oscar. Later, he issued a statement on social media saying that he felt "embarrassed" and that his actions "were not indicative of the man [he] want[s] to be".