Emile Hirsch in Rehab After Chokehold Charge

Emile Hirsch "consumed an enormous amount of alcohol" on the night he was accused of putting a female Hollywood studio executive in a chokehold, and the "Into the Wild" star is now in rehab, his lawyer said. 

Attorney Robert Offer said in a statement to E! News Friday that the actor "has no memory of what happened."

Hirsch was charged Thursday with assault after police said he put Paramount Pictures studio employee Daniele Bernfeld in a chokehold and dragged her across a nightclub table while he was in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival.

Aggravated assault is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. He was also charged with intoxication, a misdemeanor.

"Emile takes these allegations very seriously, and is devastated that any of this has occurred," Offer's statement said.

Hirsch has been seeking help at rehab since checking himself into a facility few days after the incident over two weeks ago, Offer said. He was not arrested.  

Court documents say the altercation occurred Jan. 25 at Tao Nightclub in Park City when Hirsch, looking drunk, approached Bernfeld and asked her why she looked "so tough."

He also said she was a "rich kid who should not be at Sundance," the documents say.

Investigators say Hirsch grabbed Bernfeld and she pushed him away. He left and sat with friends before coming back and grabbing the woman from behind, the documents state.

She was put in a chokehold and pulled across the table before Hirsch landed on top of her on the floor, authorities said.

Bernfeld told authorities she saw things going dark and might have blacked out momentarily.

Hirsch, of Encino, California, told police he didn't know Bernfeld but was having an argument with her.

He said he had three to four drinks. An officer reported to prosecutors that the actor's balance was off, he was slurring his words and smelled of alcohol.

Hirsch, 29, is best known for his starring role in "Into the Wild." He also appeared in Universal's Navy SEAL drama "Lone Survivor," Peter Berg's account of a disastrous 2005 military operation in Afghanistan.

Hirsch was at Sundance for the premiere of the drama "Ten Thousand Saints," a movie in which he appears alongside Ethan Hawke and Asa Butterfield.

He was scheduled to make his first court appearance March 16 at a court in Park City.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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