Kiefer Sutherland is being sued by an Uber driver who claims the Hollywood legend ‘threatened to kill’ him and punched him repeatedly before his shock arrest in January.
Sutherland, 59, was detained by police on January 12 on suspicion of criminal threats after the alleged assault on a driver in LA.
Per documents, Sutherland allegedly got into the vehicle near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue and was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill the driver who refused to pull over and let him out of the vehicle.
Uber driver Rafael Manvelyan is now suing Sutherland for assault and battery, claiming he suffered injuries to his head, face, neck, spine and shoulder when the actor allegedly attacked him.
Per the suit obtained by The Daily Mail, Manvelyan alleged Sutherland was ‘visibly intoxicated’ when he picked him up, and required assistance from another person getting into the car,
Kiefer Sutherland is being sued by an Uber driver who claims the Hollywood legend ‘threatened to kill’ him and punched him repeatedly before his shock arrest in January; pictured in January 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sutherland, 59, was detained by police on January 12 on suspicion of criminal threats after an alleged assault on a driver in LA; pictured in January 2004 in Beverly Hills
Manvelyan, who speaks limited English due to speaking primarily Russian and Armenian, alleged Sutherland became ‘agitated’ when he couldn’t understand him.
Per the lawsuit, it is claimed Sutherland became ‘increasingly hostile, aggressive, confrontational’ during the ride, allegedly ‘yelling and being verbally abusive.’
Manvelyan claims in the suit that 24 star Sutherland ‘intentionally attacked’ him while he was driving and ‘repeatedly struck’ him in the ‘head, face, neck and upper body with closed fists.’
It was further alleged that Sutherland put Manvelyan in a ‘chokehold’ and threatened to kill him.
The driver claims he fled the car with Sutherland allegedly following him down the street yelling ‘I’m going to kill you’, per the suit.
Manvelyan’s attorney Mitra Sabouri told The Daily Mail, ‘Mr. Manvelyan is a private citizen who did not seek public attention. He filed this action to pursue legal remedies for the injuries and damages he alleges he suffered.’
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Sutherland for comment.
Following his arrest, Sutherland was booked at 4:23 a.m. at the LAPD’s Hollywood division.
Sutherland was released at 11:30 a.m. on Monday on a $50,000 bond, according to LA Sheriff’s Department records viewed by the Daily Mail.
Now, law enforcement sources have claimed to TMZ that Sutherland was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill an Uber driver who refused to pull over and let him out of the vehicle; pictured in November 2025 in London
The LAPD noted that detectives from its Hollywood Division are continuing to investigate the incident.
An initial court date for the case has been set for February 2.
Sutherland’s arrest was previously reported on by NBC4 in Los Angeles.
The star has had multiple previous run-ins with the law.
In 2007, Sutherland pleaded no contest to driving under the influence after he failed a field sobriety test.
No parties involved in the altercation had injuries requiring medical attention at the scene; Sutherland is pictured with his father, the late acting icon Donald Sutherland, in 2008
Because he had previously been convicted of a DUI in 2004, Sutherland was sentenced to 48 days in jail for the 2007 offense, according to People.
In 2009, Sutherland was arrested for assault for head-butting the fashion designer Jack McCollough after a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
However, the charges were later dropped after Sutherland publicly apologized to McCollough in a joint statement from the two men.
The actor spoke about his history with alcohol in a 2016 interview with People.
‘I was never the guy, if something was wrong in my life or something wasn’t right, I didn’t go drown my sorrows,’ Sutherland said. ‘One of the things I love to do is go out with my friends and tell stories and have a bunch of drinks…
‘I can also look back on my life and tell you very squarely that the only bad things that have ever happened to me in my life have been because I like to go to bars and have drinks with my friends,’ he continued. ‘I would be lying if I told you that there weren’t moments where I felt I let it get away from me.’
Sutherland is the oldest son of the late acting icon Donald Sutherland, who died in June 2024 at 88. He also has a twin sister, Rachel, as well as younger brothers Roeg, 51; Rossif, 47; and Angus, 43.
The actor is best known for starring as counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer on Fox’s massively popular thriller 24.
Sutherland faced assault charges in 2009 for head-butting the fashion designer Jack McCollough, but they were dropped after he publicly apologized; pictured in 2023 at the Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK
Sutherland (R) scored one of his earliest roles in the late Rob Reiner’s acclaimed coming-of-age drama Stand By Me (1986)
His profile increased substantially with Joel Schumacher’s teen vampire film The Lost Boys (1987), and other early films included 1988’s Young Guns, as well as Flatliners (1990), which paired him with Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon; pictured in The Lost Boys with Jami Gertz
Sutherland has worked with acclaimed auteurs in recent years, including the late William Friedkin in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023) and Clint Eastwood in his acclaimed courtroom thriller Juror #2 (2024); pictured in November in London
The show featured a novel structure in which each of a season’s 24 episodes played in an approximation of real time over the course of a single day.
The series’ focus on terrorism when it premiered in November 2001 keyed into national fears following the September 11 terrorist attacks, and 24 ran for 8 seasons through 2010 — including a 2008 TV movie — and a 12-episode follow-up series in 2014.
The show kick-started a career revival for Sutherland, who first rose to fame with a string of acclaimed films in the 1980s.
He made his screen debut in 1983’s Max Dugan Returns — which starred his father — and followed it up with a supporting role in Rob Reiner’s acclaimed coming-of-age film Stand By Me (1986).
Last month, Sutherland spoke about working with Reiner for a CBS News special following the shocking murders of the filmmaker and his wife Michele, allegedly at the hand of their son Nick.
Sutherland’s profile increased substantially with Joel Schumacher’s teen vampire film The Lost Boys (1987).
Other early films include 1988’s Young Guns and its 1990 sequel, as well as Flatliners from the same year, which paired him with Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon.
Sutherland later starred on Fox’s Touch (2012–2013) and CBS’s Designated Survivor (2016–2019).
On the big screen, the actor has recently worked with iconic auteurs, including the late William Friedkin in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023) and Clint Eastwood in his acclaimed courtroom thriller Juror #2 (2024).
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