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Celebrity Justice
Who Cut the Cheadle?

Posted Sep 17th 2008 6:32PM by TMZ Staff

Don CheadleDon Cheadle's been robbed ... out of a chance to serve as a proud member of an L.A. County jury.

We first spotted Cheadle this morning at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown L.A. He was in the jury assembly room -- on the floor with his eyes closed! Don left for lunch and when he returned he was sent to a courtroom as a potential juror in an auto burglary case.

The attorneys began firing questions at Cheadle. Was he ever the victim of a car break-in? He said his GF had her car broken into six months ago in Santa Monica. Don said they filed a police report, but "not a lot of follow-up." Snap.

Then he was asked: Any negative experiences with law enforcement? Don said in the 80s, during the gang crackdown, he was stopped by cops for no reason five or six times. Cheadle said when he was pulled over, cops recognized him and let him go.

Cheadle said he couldn't serve because he had a meeting with his surgeon on Friday but he couldn't say why because TMZ was in the courtroom. That was good enough for the judge -- she gave him 30 days to deal with it but then he's coming back.



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1. "he was stropped" Is that like being strip searched?

Posted at 6:37PM on Sep 17th 2008 by mela

2. Maybe he is having a vasectomy!

Posted at 6:59PM on Sep 17th 2008 by Lisa

3. good to see he's doing his civic duty...more people should get into the court room (on the right side of the law) !!!

Posted at 7:15PM on Sep 17th 2008 by northern gyspy

4. How did anyone recognize him in the 80s? I'd hardly recoginze him in the 90s. or 2008 even.

Posted at 9:02PM on Sep 17th 2008 by Maggie Blaise

5. He said his GF had her car broken into six months ago in Santa Monica



I hope GF means good friend instead of girlfriend because this man is married. There you go TMZ trying to get this man caught in some BS by twisting this talented actor statement.

Posted at 8:46PM on Sep 17th 2008 by tlw

6. I love when people say they were "stopped by the cops for NO reason"....give me a break. They dont just randomly pick people to stop and harass. I know when I have been stopped, its always been because I did something stupid. Take some responsibility for once.....good way to get out of jury duty jackass!

Posted at 9:04PM on Sep 17th 2008 by capecat

7. Uh, yes they do. This I know from personal experience, and this stopping-for-NO-reason (well, other than the reason that a cop assumes something bad about you -- that's the reason) happens to men *and* women. I hope you never have it happen to you, because it is the most demeaning experience save being raped (which I have experienced too, many years prior). But yes, friend, it *does* happen. Cops sometimes *do* stop people who are guilty of nothing except existing.

Posted at 9:36PM on Sep 17th 2008 by NR Davis

8. Don fulfilled his duty by showing up and answering the questions. Yes, tard, people do get stopped JUST BECAUSE. Most people try to get out of jury duty anyway.

Posted at 9:36PM on Sep 17th 2008 by yousaidwhat

9. Obviously you guys don't realize just how often people get staopped for no reason. And I bet non of you are African American either! My son who is biracial, is a business owner,41 years old (so not suspected of being a banger) has been pulled over numerous times for no reason other than he doesn't "look" like he belongs in his neighborhood. He has also been stoped in my part of town (Burbank,CA). He has never been given a ticket but he has been hand cuffed and his car searched then ,no apology or anything, told he could go And you think there is not racism?????

Posted at 1:16AM on Sep 18th 2008 by just me

10. TMZ, following has-beens into the courtroom just to get a story is so lame. Have some class.

_LILO_
__SAMRO__
Fresno, CA

Posted at 4:26AM on Sep 18th 2008 by the young lady that tastes your mother\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s mouth

11. If he wants to just get out of jury duty he should say ("Of course he is guilty
he is Black". even if the defendant is White or Asian)

Posted at 4:51AM on Sep 18th 2008 by peewees

12. HE WAS STOPPED FOR A REASON AND IT IS CALLED BMDWB---BLACK MAN DRIVING WHILE BLACK.

Posted at 11:48AM on Sep 18th 2008 by USR

13. @ # 4, I was thinking the same thing. Is he getting divorced or something? Hope not, thought he was better than that, he is a great actor. Loved him in hotel Rowanda.

Posted at 5:15PM on Sep 18th 2008 by bebefj123