Pasadenan, “The Wire” Actor Wendell Pierce Backs Out of Rutgers event

Pasadena resident Wendell Pierce, best known for his role as Detective Bunk Moreland on HBO’s “The Wire,” will no longer be commencement speaker at Rutgers University-Newark, the school announced Monday.

Pierce himself said he has backed out commencement speaker, forfeiting an honorary degree he was to have received Wednesday.

“This morning, Rutgers University – Newark was informed by actor and humanitarian Wendell Pierce that in order to assure that commencement 2016 will be a celebration of the accomplishments of our students free of distractions, he is declining to join us and consequently must decline the conferral of an honorary degree,” Peter T. Englot, Senior Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and Chief of Staff at the university, said in a Facebook post Monday.

The actor was arrested Saturday in Atlanta after a hotel incident in Atlanta in which he was accused of hitting a woman on the head in a political discussion and charged with simple battery, according to police.

“Mr. Wendell Pierce was arrested early Saturday morning at Atlanta Lowes (sic) Hotel, where he was a guest,” an Atlanta Police Department statement said. “The incident did not rise to anything significant so no special notification was made… it was treated like any other arrest a patrol officer conducts.”

Pierce, 52, was released on $1,000 bond, according to records at Fulton County Jail.

In a series of tweets, Pierce also sought to explain what happened between him and the woman who was with two others at the hotel. Pierce was with his girlfriend when the incident happened.

“I regret that what started as a civil political discussion escalated to the level that it did,” tweeted Pierce. “Although what has been reported thus far differs in important respects from what actually occurred, I have confidence that the judicial process will work as it should.”

According to the police report, a woman, her husband and a friend encountered Pierce and his girlfriend on the 23rd floor of the hotel, where the three were sitting out in the hallway.

“Both groups of parties began a conversation about politics which got Mr. Pierce upset,” said the report. It also said Pierce began to push the woman who with her friends began to walk to their room. At one point, according to the report, Pierce “began to hit her in the head and grab her hoodie, ripping the hood off.”

Pierce was also questioned and he stated he was being pulled into the room and he was trying to get away, the report said.

None of the parties needed medical attention, the report added.

A report on TMZ said Pierce, a Hillary Clinton supporter, had an argument with a Bernie Sanders supporter at the Atlanta hotel.

Pierce has been on location in Atlanta filming the movie “One Last Thing” with Jurnee Smollet-Bell.