This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
PARK CITY - Famed fashion photographer and filmmaker David LaChapelle was arrested in Park City early Saturday morning after a confrontation with police.
The incident was one of two confrontations on Main Street during the weekend that led to arrests.
LaChapelle, who is in Park City debuting his first full-length feature "Rize" with the Sundance Film Festival, was arrested outside the Marquee club on Main Street at 2:20 a.m. when police were called to control a large crowd.
Park City police, along with officers from Summit County Sheriff's Office, were asked for assistance with the crowd of about 200 people as security attempted to escort two actresses from the club, said Summit County Sheriff's Sgt. Kyle Lewis. The crowd became aggressive, testing the will of the eight officers on the scene.
"Summit County officers had asked LaChapelle a couple of times to back up. He failed to comply and was arrested," Lewis said.
Another man was arrested at the same time, said Lewis.
Park City police could not confirm whether the two actresses in question were Nicky and Paris Hilton, who Star Magazine says were seen outside the Marquee trying to defend LaChapelle from the officers.
"He's with us, he's with us," said Paris Hilton, according to Star.
LaChapelle photographed Hilton for the December 2004 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. The provocative image of Hilton's naked body loosely wrapped with black rope - shot from the side with her legs tucked to her chest for a touch of modesty - was issued just 3 months after the pair were seen together at the MTV Music Video Awards.
"We were trying to promote peace and order and it got out of hand," Lewis said.
When asked if the filmmaker's arrest would mar the festival's image, Patrick Hubley, press agent for the Sundance Institute, said that the Marquee is not an official festival venue. And though LaChapelle is a filmmaker associated with the festival, he is still a private citizen.
LaChapelle's film is a documentary observing a South-Central Los Angeles phenomena known as "krumping," a form of high-energy dance where the performers dress as clowns.
LaChapelle was booked into the Summit County jail on the suspicion of disturbing the peace.
He was released around 8 a.m., police said.
Park City officers made another arrest early Sunday morning after receiving reports of a man with a gun in the downtown area.
The man was one of eight individuals who witnesses told police were involved in a brawl, said Park City Chief of Police Lloyd Evans.
The man was located near the 600 Block of Main Street and the gun was recovered. Most of the group fled.
"We only found two people out of the eight," Evans said.
The fight did not appear to have any film festival connection.
"This could have happened on any Saturday night," said Evans, "These guys are locals."
The arrests were only two of 129 incidents that Park City police responded to over the weekend.
"Traffic is our greatest challenge," said Evans.
The incident report log for Saturday shows officers responding to 52 parking violations - many of which included multiple citations. The log also shows 15 traffic stops, three noise complaints, three fights and one DUI arrest.