Robin Baum, Crowe's publicist, said in a statement, "Frustrated by a clerk's unwillingness to help him put through a phone call to his family in Australia, Russell Crowe was involved in a minor altercation at the Mercer Hotel earlier this morning.
"After asking the front desk several times to replace a faulty phone in his room — and getting only attitude from the clerk on duty — Crowe brought the phone down to the front desk in an effort to address the situation in person. Words were exchanged, and Crowe wound up throwing the phone against the wall. He regrets that he lost his temper, but at no time did he assault anyone or touch any hotel employee."
Crowe, who was in New York to promote Cinderella Man, was arraigned Monday afternoon on charges of second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal posession of a weapon (the telephone). The assault charge carries a possible penalty of four years in prison. The actor was released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to court Sept. 14.