Actor Grard Depardieu allegedly repeatedly punched 'paparazzi king' Rino Barillari in popular Rome bar

French actor Grard Depardieu allegedly attacked the so-called king of the paparazzi outside a popular cafe in Rome, Italy, just weeks after he was accused of sexual assault, according to reports.

Depardieu, 75, was dining at an outdoor table at Harry's Bar with two women on Tuesday afternoon when the infamous Rino Barillari, 79, was allegedly taking photos at the cafe on Via Veneto.

La Repubblica newspaper columnist Gianni Riotta, who was present during the alleged attack, claimed that Barillari was repeatedly asked to stop taking photos, according toThe New York Times.

As the famous photographer prepared to leave the bar, one of the women sitting with French film star Magda Vavrusova allegedly followed Barillari into the street, shouting at him.

Depardieu then allegedly confronted Barillari and hit him, hit him, hit him.

There was a lot of blood, Riotta said.

Magda Vavrusova's lawyer, Delphine Meillet, told the outlet that Barillari violently pushed her, touching her chest with his arm, before the attack and that Depardieu was defending her when he fell and slipped into the photographer of the newspaper Messaggero.

After everything that happened, the photographer persisted in flooding them with photos, she said.

Vavrusova, a production manager who was listed on IMDB as Vin Diesel's local assistant in the film “Babylon A.D.,” was taken to the hospital and plans to sue Barillari, according to Meillet.

It is unclear whether Barillari plans to file charges against the Man in the Iron Mask actor and Vavrusova.

Harrys Bar owner Piero Lepore confirmed the incident occurred but did not say who was at fault, according to CNN.

In a column written by Barillari forMessengerOn Wednesday, he claims that around 1:40 p.m., “he received a phone call from a friend (Depardieu) who was going to the Villa Borghese.”

Once I arrived at Porta Pinciana, I saw it. There were six of them at the table, all French, he was next to a beautiful girl. I took a position and took out the telephoto lens. But Depardieu threw ice at me. I stopped and waited patiently outside, the photographer writes.

He said outside the bar: “The young girl threw herself at me, offended me, tried to provoke me, she kicked, as if she was looking for a fight. I remained still.

SO [Depardieu] arrived shouting 'me… Italian', I remained silent, he hit me three times, while everyone witnessed the scene in the heart of La Dolce Vita. I didn't give up, he had punched me three times in the face, I stood in front of his rental car, to block him and in the meantime call the police.

Depardieu then left the scene and Barillari said witnesses made him sit on the sidewalk, brought him ice for his injuries, and people clapped and said they were crazy.

Last month, Paris prosecutors said Depardieu would go on trial in October over allegations of sexual assault by two women who worked with him on the 2021 film Les Volets vertes.

One of the women who worked with Depardiu on the set of The Green Shutters, which has not yet been released in 2021, claimed he cornered her in a hallway and groped her.

He grabbed her, pinned her between her legs and touched her body up to her breasts, a lawyer representing the unnamed woman told French broadcaster BFMTV, according to the BBC.

The Home Front star is also currently under investigation for suspected rape and sexual assault of actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018, when she was 22.

More than a dozen other women have come forward to accuse Depardieu of similar sexual assault allegations.

The French actor has denied all accusations of rape and sexual assault.

Depardieu has starred in more than 240 films, according to his IMDb page.

He notably won a Golden Globe in 1991 for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy” for his role in Green Card.