NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – Actor Wendell Pierce has decided not to attend and speak at a graduation ceremony in New Jersey following his arrest in Atlanta.
Rutgers University-Newark announced Monday that Pierce did not want to create a distraction. TV news anchor Soledad O’Brien will speak at Wednesday’s commencement instead.
Atlanta Police Department spokesman Donald Hannah says in a statement that Pierce was arrested Saturday at the Loews Atlanta Hotel. Jail records show he was arrested on a charge of simple battery and released on $1,000 bond. Hannah says Pierce never indicated he was well-known and his arrest was treated like any other arrest.
Other details weren’t immediately available.
Pierce is known for his television roles as Detective William “Bunk” Moreland on “The Wire” and Antoine Batiste on “Treme.”