MALIBU, Calif. — A mistrial was declared Friday in the battery case against two surfers accused of beating up a member of the paparazzi on a Malibu beach two years ago.
Skylar Peak, 26, and Philip Hildebrand, 31, were each facing one count of misdemeanor battery stemming from the June 2008 incident. They were accused of attacking French paparazzo Rachid Aitmbareck as he attempted to snap pictures of actor and surfer enthusiast Matthew McConaughey.
The judge also declared a mistrial in March after learning Peak's mother was seriously injured in a car accident.
"These men, at least in the interim, have gotten away with their offenses in the guise of protecting the community from paparazzi," the photographer's attorney, Bryan Altman, told the Los Angeles Times.
Both sides were ordered to return to court on July 2 to determine if the men will be retried.
- Comment
