June 15, 2010— -- Jodie Foster's carefully constructed wall of privacy was punctured recently by a 17-year-old shutterbug who accused the actress of attacking him after he snapped a photo of her with her two sons at a Los Angeles shopping center.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed for ABCNews.com that there is "an ongoing investigation of a misdemeanor battery" but would not release any details.
According to the New York Times, the young photographer filed a police report after the May 29 incident claiming that Foster, 47, had poked him in the chest and grabbed his left arm, causing visible injury.
Foster's spokesperson fought back, telling People magazine that the young man was really "a professional paparazzo." The spokesperson told US Weekly that the actress had merely "touched him on the elbow in an attempt to take him aside to talk to him and tell him to stop."
In any case, the incident has put Foster, one of Hollywood's most private actresses, and her overzealous protection of her personal life under media scrutiny. Single mother to Charles, 11, and Kit, 8, the two-time Academy Award winning actress is intensely guarded about her private life.
"Having grown up a child star, Jodie's always put up an extra wall of privacy around her," Village Voice columnist Michael Musto told ABCNews.com. "Being obsessed by John Hinckley Jr. understandably drove her deeper into self-consciousness and trepidation. On top of that, she's extremely protective of her sons. The photographer apparently trailed her and her kids, and that may have pushed her into overreacting."
"Vict while at The Grove saw susp and began to take pics of susp with his camera then walked to the valet area of The Grove," the report reads. "Susp followed vict, poked him on his chest, grabbed vict by his left arm causing visible injury."
Jodie Foster Accused of Battery
The 17-year-old, whose name has not been released publicly, described the suspect as "Jody Foster," wearing blue jeans and a brown shirt. He lists her weapon as "bodily force."
His father, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke to RadarOnline. He denied that his son was a professional photographer -- the police report lists his occupation as student -- and said his son was nothing more than a fan.
"My son was at The Grove with his girlfriend and they were going to see a movie. He saw Jodie Foster and is a big fan so went over and took a picture of her," the father said. "She came after him, poked him in the chest and said, 'Do you even have a mother you slime ball?'"
"Jodie pushed and shoved him leaving scratches and bruises on his arm," the father said.
He said his son was confused and apologized profusely to the actress. "He didn't mouth back at all and was scared of her," the father said. "At one point Jodie's son even came over to my son and apologized. Her kids were really embarrassed."
Foster's spokesperson did not respond immediately to ABCNews.com's request for comment. But, in a statement to Radar, her spokesperson said: "The police report is his side of the story. The guy was a professional photographer with a camera bag and a large lens. He followed Jodie and her two sons from the cinema in The Grove to the valet parking area. He crowded her and her two sons and took pictures the whole time. Jodie told him to stop but he did not do so."
The young man's family told Radar they are not planning to file any legal action against Foster but would like an apology from the actress.
Whether or not an apology is forthcoming, Foster is once again facing questions about the way she conducts her personal life.
In a September 2007 interview with More magazine, Foster made no apologies for the way she guards her private life.
"My life is my life. I'm not going to change my life for anybody. I don't have any problems with it," said the actress who won Oscars for "The Accused" and "Silence of the Lambs" before age 30. "I just don't talk about my health, my dad, who I voted for or what I think of the death penalty, because that would be trivializing my life, selling it for a magazine."
