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Pete Davidson hit with 50 hours of community service after ‘cutting deal’ with car crash prosecutors

Comedian and actor will avoid prosecution following reckless driving charges

Tom Murray
Monday 24 July 2023 21:16 EDT
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Pete Davidson has been placed on an 18-month “diversion programme” after being charged with reckless driving last month.

In March, the Saturday Night Live alum, 29, was driving in Beverly Hills when his vehicle reportedly went over the curb, hitting a fire hydrant and crashed into the side of a house.

According to The Blast, Davidson’s lawyers struck a deal with Los Angeles prosecutors last week ahead of his scheduled arraignment date on Thursday (27 July).

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office confirmed to media on Monday (24 July) that Davidson must complete the programme as an alternative to prosecution.

According to NBC, the programme will require him to do 12 hours of traffic school and 50 hours of community service, which he can complete in his native home of New York City.

Davidson’s counsel “indicated [his community] service is likely to be completed at NYFD”, NBC further reported.

Davidson’s father, Scott, was an NYFD firefighter who died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center when the comedian was seven.

Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson (Getty Images)

Davidson must also pay “restitution and obey all laws”.

In a statement to People magazine, the NYFC said it would welcome Davidson to complete his community service with them.

“As the son of a 9/11 hero, we would be happy to provide Mr Davidson an opportunity to do his required community service,” the statement read.

The Independent has contacted Davidson’s attorney for comment.

In a statement issued after Davidson was charged last month, the LA DA’s office said: “We believe that Mr Davidson engaged in reckless driving, which ultimately resulted in his involvement in a serious collision into a home. Luckily, no one was seriously injured as a result of this collision.”

According to Lieutenant Moreno of the Beverly Hills Police, Davidson was travelling with a female passenger at the time of the accident. It was reported at the time he was in the car with his Bodies Bodies Bodies co-star and girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders, 27.

Pictures obtained by TMZ show exterior damage caused to the home and pictures published by Fox show major damage to the front of a dark Mercedes-Benz.

News of Davidson’s court order comes weeks after his representatives confirmed he had checked into a rehabilitation facility for mental health issues.

Davidson has previously been open about his mental health struggles. In 2017, the King of Staten Island actor shared he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) during an appearance on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast. He explained that he had checked into a rehabilitation center in December 2016 after struggling with symptoms of the disorder.

Speaking with Jon Bernthal on his Real Ones podcast last March, Davidson said that his father’s death had had an impact on his “fear of abandonment” as well as his PTSD.

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