Wire Star Allegedly Attacked Bernie Fans, Is Arrested

Wendell Pierce, the actor best known for his roles in The Wire and Treme, was arrested early Sunday after what sources say was a late-night political argument in an Atlanta hotel. Sources tell TMZ that Pierce, a Hillary Clinton supporter, became enraged when he discovered a couple he was chatting with at a bar in the Loews Hotel at around 3:30am were Bernie Sanders supporters. He allegedly pushed the man and smacked the woman in the head before they retreated to their hotel room and called security, who called the cops.

Pierce, 52, was arrested on a charge of simple battery and released on $1,000 bond, NBC News reports. A police spokesman says the arrest was unremarkable and Pierce "made no indication he was famous, nor did the officer inquire." The actor, who recently played Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in HBO's Confirmation, is in Atlanta filming the movie One Last Thing. The Daily Beast notes that Pierce, a New Orleans native who founded a nonprofit to build new homes for Hurricane Katrina victims, has strongly criticized Sanders' campaign and what he calls "empty" plans. (More Atlanta stories.)