The FBI was informed of “a child welfare” incident involving actor Brad Pitt on an international flight last week, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to discuss the matter.
The allegation involved unruly behavior by Pitt while airborne with his child present, according to the source, who would not elaborate.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services is now conducting an investigation into Pitt’s conduct while the family was flying on a private jet from France to the United States, the source said Thursday.
TMZ first reported allegations that the Los Angeles Police Department and DCFS were investigating Pitt following an incident at an out-of-state airport involving Angelina Jolie and their children. The website claims Pitt was physically and verbally abusive with his children during a flight on a private jet Sept. 14. TMZ alleges Pitt tried to drive off in a fuel truck after the plane landed.
The website reported that an anonymous report was sent to the family services department.
On Thursday, the LAPD denied claims that its detectives were investigating child-abuse allegations involving Pitt.
“LAPD is not handling any reports or allegations into child abuse for Mr. Pitt,” spokeswoman Officer Jenny Houser said Thursday.
The department’s Juvenile Division, which would handle high-profile child-abuse cases, has no open investigation into Pitt, Det. Meghan Aguilar said.
Aguilar said LAPD officials called TMZ to inform them they were not investigating Pitt.
“I don’t know if they just don’t believe us,” she said.
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Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt pose on the red carpet for the opening night premiere of their film “By the Sea” in Hollywood in November 2015.
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the AFI Awards luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel on Jan. 9, 2015, in Los Angeles. Jolie’s “Unbroken” was named one of 11 movies of the year.
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Angelina Jolie, left, director of “Unbroken,” poses with Miyavi, second from left, Melody Ishihara and Brad Pitt at the film’s world premiere, in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 17, 2014.
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married Saturday in France, reports say. The couple, seen here at the premiere of “The Tree Of Life” at the Cannes Film Festival in May, had been engaged since 2012. (Andreas Rentz / Getty Images)
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U.N. envoy Angelina Jolie and her fiance, Brad Pitt, attend the fourth day of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London on June 13. (Carl Court / AFP / Getty Images)
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The couple attend a global summit to end sexual violence along with representatives from 100 countries’ governments, more than 900 experts, faith leaders and representatives from international organizations around the world. (Lefteris Pitarakis / Associated Press)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt attend the world premiere of Disney’s “Maleficent” at the El Capitan Theatre on May 28, 2014, in Hollywood. (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt attend the world premiere of Disney’s “Maleficent” at the El Capitan Theatre on May 28, 2014, in Hollywood. (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attend the New York premiere of “The Normal Heart” at Ziegfeld Theater on May 12, 2014, in New York City. (Ben Gabbe / Getty Images)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive for a special “Maleficent” costume display at Kensington Palace in London on May 8, 2014. (Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA )
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at a special “Maleficent” costume display at Kensington Palace in London on May 8, 2014. (Joel Ryan / Invision / AP)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive at the Governor’s Ball at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Jolie congratulates Pitt when “12 Years A Slave,” which he produced and starred in, won the Academy Award for best picture. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Brian Grazer at the 84th Annual Academy Awards show at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2012. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the 84th Annual Academy Awards show at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles, CA on Feb. 26, 2012. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards show at The Beverly Hilton on Jan. 15, 2012. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt during coverage of the 69th Golden Globe Awards show at The Beverly Hilton on Jan. 15, 2012. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards show at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Jan. 29, 2012. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the 68th Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 16, 2011 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan.16, 2011, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hill. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Accompanied by their six children, Brad Pitt and Angellina Jolie appear before photographers upon their arrival at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Nov. 8, 2011. (Toru Yamanaka / AFP / Getty Images)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on the red carpet of the 81st Academy Awards on Feb. 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the 66th Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA on Jan. 11, 2009. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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A heavily pregnant Angelina Jolie arrives at the premiere of her animated film “Kung Fu Panda” during the 61st International film festival in Cannes, southern France. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive for the Critics’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles, Calif. on Jan. 7, 2008. (Paul Buck / EPA)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive for the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 27, 2008. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the premiere of “Beowulf” in Los Angeles on Nov. 5, 2007. (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt attend the “The Assassination of Jesse James” premiere at 64th Annual Venice Film Festival on Sept. 2, 2007. (MJ Kim / Getty Images)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive for the New York premiere of “The Assassination of Jesse James” on Sept. 18, 2007. (Emmanuel Dunand / AFP / Getty Images)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive for the premiere of Pitt’s film “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” during the 33rd Deauville American Film Festival on Sept. 3, 2007 in Deauville , France. (Francois Durand / Getty Images)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive at the New York premiere of “A Mighty Heart” on June, 13, 2007. (Stuart Ramson / Associated Press)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive at the Festival Palace for a gala screening of the film “A Mighty Heart” running out of competition at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, on May 21, 2007. (Daniel Deme / EPA)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive for the 64th Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 15, 2007 in Beverly Hills. (Beatrice de Gea / Los Angeles Times)
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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive at the world premiere of “The Good Shepherd” on Dec. 11, 2006, in New York. (Jeff Christensen / Associated Press)
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie visit the Immaculate Conception School in Port au Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 13, 2006. (Brennan Linsley / Associated Press)
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Brad Pitt, producer Arnon Milchan and Angelina Jolie arrive at the premiere of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” at the Mann Village Theater on June 7, 2005, in Westwood, Calif. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
DCFS spokesman Armand Montiel said he could not comment on whether the department was investigating.
“The law does not allow us to confirm or deny the subjects of our investigations,” he said.
Jolie’s attorney, Laura Wasser, declined to comment.
Late Thursday, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller issued a statement, saying, “The FBI is continuing to gather facts and will evaluate whether an investigation at the federal level will be pursued.”
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on Monday, citing irreconcilable differences, but didn’t elaborate on what those differences are.
She is seeking sole physical custody and joint legal custody of their six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne. In the Los Angeles County Superior Court filing, Jolie said she was willing to give her husband visitation rights.
The separation date is listed as Sept. 15. Jolie and Pitt were legally married Aug. 14, 2014, after a two-year engagement.
The couple met while working on the movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and got together in August 2005.
Jolie is seeking property in the divorce, including miscellaneous jewelry and other personal effects, her earnings and accumulations from and after the date of separation and “additional separate property assets and obligations of the parties, the exact nature of and extent of which are not presently known.”
In a 2015 interview with the Telegraph, Pitt gushed about parenthood.
“Everyone talks about the joy of having kids — blah, blah, blah. But I never knew how much I could love something until I looked in the faces of my children,” the actor said, describing his family unit as sharing “a lot of love, a lot of fighting, a lot of refereeing; a lot of teeth-brushing and spilling … Chaos, total chaos. But so much fun.”
It’s unclear what effect, if any, reports of the incident would have on the couple’s pending divorce.
“I would think that a single incident of someone misbehaving or screaming or pushing, where there was no injury and no suggestion of this being habitual, is very unlikely to have a big effect on who gets custody and who gets visitation,” said Scott Altman, a USC law professor and family law expert.
When there are reports of habitual abuse, those could lead to monitored visitations, but the behavior being alleged in this instance doesn’t appear to fall under that category, Altman said.
“On the other hand, nobody likes to have their dirty laundry aired publicly,” he said.
Divorces can lead people to “behave badly” and threaten to release embarrassing personal details of their spouse as leverage to gain a fast or rich settlement, he said. Other times it’s simply venting without a goal in mind.
“I don’t think there’s any way to presume based on rumors getting started that facts were leaked by one of the parties. It could be a witness or a third party. I wouldn’t assume quickly that it’s a rumor started for strategic purposes,” Altman said.
“I think judges have to ask, ‘What evidence do we have? Is anything being alleged even relevant?’ If nobody got hurt, a judge might say this is not even by itself going to be relevant to this decision.”
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UPDATES:
8 p.m.: This article was updated with a brief statement from the FBI.
1 p.m.: This article was updated with details from a law enforcement source.
This article was originally published at 9:40 a.m.
