Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is reportedly planning to turn himself into authorities on forcible touching charges Thursday for an alleged incident that occurred in New York last weekend.
Speaking with TMZ, Gooding, 51, denied claims that he groped a woman’s breast Sunday night at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in Manhattan. The actor said he partied with friends and took photos with fans but that no unwanted touching occurred—not even accidentally.
On Thursday, the tabloid updated their story to include a statement from Gooding’s lawyer, who said he viewed surveillance footage from the bar and that it didn’t show any sexual assault. His lawyer, Mark Heller, said he contacted the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Sex Crimes Unit about the video but claimed he hasn’t received a response.
“He’s 51 with no criminal history. I’m not going to have him in a holding cell just to be declined,” Heller said to WNBC, adding that his client won’t surrender to police until they hear from prosecutors.
Meanwhile, law enforcement sources told the New York Post that a second woman has come forward to accuse Gooding of also groping her after reading about Sunday’s alleged incident. The incident reportedly involved the “Radio” actor grabbing the woman’s behind at a Manhattan restaurant more than a decade ago.
Gooding’s lawyer told the news outlet that he wasn’t aware of the latest allegation but said, “Good luck to her” after learning that the alleged incident occurred 10 years earlier, referring to the statute of limitations.
[Featured image: Cuba Gooding Jr./Charles Sykes/Invision/AP]
