Austin North Arrested for Allegedly Attacking ER Staff

Austin North, a star of the Netflix show Outer Banks, has been arrested for allegedly attacking several emergency room staffers in Las Vegas.

The altercation happened on Tuesday night at UMC Hospital, where North was arrested and booked by Las Vegas police for gross misdemeanor battery after he was in an altercation with several nurses and a phlebotomist. According to TMZ, he punched one nurse in the head, shoved another nurse, and pushed the phlebotomist into a table, leading the latter to hit North in the head with a tray in self-defense.

All of this, evidently, happened for “no apparent reason whatsoever,” TMZ asserts. After the altercation, North was cuffed to a gurney, had his Miranda rights read to him, and allegedly responded “yes” when asked by officers if he understood that he was being arrested for battery.

After that, North was brought to jail, booked, and posed for a mug shot. He has since bonded out, but the cause of this incident remains a mystery. It’s unclear how or why North went to the ER in the first place.

Following the arrest, North issued a statement on Instagram. “I am deeply upset by the events that took place in Las Vegas this past week. My friend drove me to the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack. Several tests were taken, including blood, which came back negative for any drugs or alcohol in my system. I was having a severe anxiety attack.”

He continued, “I have ever little memory of the events that day at the hospital. I have the utmost respect for healthcare workers and hospital staff. I have battled anxiety on and off for years and this was the most extreme panic attack I’ve ever had. Going forward, I hope to shed light on this debilitating disorder and send hope to those who have also struggled.”

Prior to this, North had a fairly low-key track record. He began acting in his teen years, appearing in several Disney series, like Kickin’ It, A.N.T. Farm, and I Didn’t Do It, as well as an episode of General Hospital. Since 2020, he’s portrayed Topper on Netflix’s Outer Banks. In the days leading up to his arrest, North was in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII.