The director clarified earlier report that suggested he was assaulted by two people, saying it was one man wielding 'a long air conditioner unit' who wrestled with him.
- Oct 18, 2013
AceShowbiz - Michael Bay has issued a statement to explain what really went down when he was threatened by some local guys on the Hong Kong set of his new movie "Transformers: Age of Extinction". He said one of the men initially approached him to ask for money and then flipped out when he declined.
"One guy rolled metal carts into some of my actors trying to shake us down for thousands of dollars to not play his loud music or hit us with bricks," he recalled in a post on his official website. "Every vendor where we shot got paid a fair price for our inconvenience, but he wanted four times that amount."
While earlier reports claimed he was attacked by two men, Bay clarified it was only one person. But the director confirmed the man came with his friends in his effort to get easy money from the movie's crew. "I personally told this man and his friends to forget it we were not going to let him extort us," Bay said.
"He didn't like that answer. So an hour later he came by my crew as we were shooting, carrying a long air conditioner unit. He walked right up to me and tried to smack my face, but I ducked threw the air unit on the floor and pushed him away," the "Friday the 13th" helmer continued retelling his story.
The chaos ensued, and Bay likened it to a scene from Brad Pitt's Zombie movie "World War Z". "It took seven big guys to subdue him," the filmmaker said. "He lifted seven guys up and tried to bite them. He actually bit into one of the guards Nike shoe, insane." He added in jest, "Thank god it was an Air Max, the bubble popped, but the toe was saved."
The incident with whom Bay called "some drugged up guys" and "belligerent a**es" happened in the morning of his "first shoot day in Hong Kong." "It took fifteen Hong Kong cops in riot gear to deal with these punks," he said. "In all, four guys were eventually arrested for assaulting the officers."
A Hong Kong police spokeswoman earlier said the men involved in the assault were identified as two brothers, surnamed Mak and aged 27 and 28. They own a shop near the location where the "Transformers 4" was being filmed.
According a statement by the local police, the younger brother approached Bay and demanded 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($13,000). When Bay told them no, the older brother attacked him and then assaulted police who tried to intervene.
Bay, 48, reportedly suffered a minor injury to his face but declined medical treatment. The brothers were facing charges of blackmail, assault and assaulting police officers.
