Robert Downey Jr. ‘grateful’ for son Indio Downey’s arrest

Indio Falconer Downey was arrested Sunday afternoon on suspicion of cocaine and drug-paraphernalia possession, and Monday found his famous father Robert Downey Jr. thanking law enforcement for taking action.

“We’re grateful to the Sheriff’s department for their intervention, and believe Indio can be another recovery success story instead of a cautionary tale,” said the “Iron Man” star, whose own journey through substance abuse is well known.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested the younger Downey in West Hollywood after he was seen in the passenger seat of a vehicle “apparently using” a pipe to smoke cocaine, a department spokesman told L.A. Now.

While the driver of the car and another passenger were released, the 20-year-old son of the “Less Than Zero” actor and his first wife, Deborah Falconer, was held on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. He was released on $10,250 bail just after midnight Monday morning.

“Unfortunately there’s a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it,” Downey Jr.’s statement continued. “Also, there is a lot of family support and understanding, and we’re all determined to rally behind him and help him become the man he’s capable of being.”

Indio Downey sings and plays guitar in L.A. band the Seems and has a couple of movie credits, one of them earned at age 9 for playing a younger version of his dad’s lead character in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”

Understanding for Indio’s situation stems directly from the experiences of his father, who, sources connected with the family told TMZ, has been privately helping his son with addiction problems for years. “He’s very much in tune with his son’s sobriety,” one source said.

That’s quite a contrast from RDJ’s relationship with his filmmaker dad: Those two used to do drugs together, the actor has said.

The two-time Oscar nominee eventually spent time behind bars in L.A. County Jail and the California State Prison, Corcoran, as his life spun out of control in the 1990s and early 2000s. He cleaned up his act before marrying Susan Levin in 2005.

Downey Jr. and Falconer split in 2001, and their divorce was final in 2004. He welcomed son Exton with wife Susan in 2012.

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