Brad Pitt is under investigation for child abuse after he allegedly got “verbally abusive” and “physical” with one of his children with Angelina Jolie on the couple’s private plane while their other kids were present, PEOPLE confirms.
The L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services is investigating the allegations after someone anonymously reported the incident last Wednesday on the tarmac, a source tells PEOPLE.
Pitt is accused of getting verbally abusive with one of the couple’s kids, as well as getting “physical,” a source says. Jolie was present at the time, along with at least some of their other children.
The report allegedly indicates he had been drinking at the time of the incident.
The LAPD says that it is not investigating Pitt following the allegations.
“LAPD is not handling any report or allegations into child abuse against Mr. Brad Pitt,” a spokeswoman tells PEOPLE.
Another source says that Pitt did not return to the L.A. family home with Jolie and the children after the incident. That wasn’t unusual, says the source – Pitt would often spend the night at a hotel after arguments with Jolie.
TMZ first reported news of the child services investigation.
A source close to Pitt tells PEOPLE that that he is not taking the investigation lightly.
“He takes the matter very seriously and says he did not commit any abuse of his children,” the source says. “It’s unfortunate that people involved are continuing to present him in the worst possible light.
Jolie, 41, filed for divorce and requested sole physical custody of the couple’s six children – Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8 . In documents filed in court on Monday, Jolie cited irreconcilable differences in ending their marriage of two years.
She listed the date of separation as September 15, a day after Pitt’s alleged blowup.
After news of the divorce went public, Pitt explained in a statement to PEOPLE that his focus is on the “well-being of our kids.”
“I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids,” he said in the statement. “I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.”
In a separate statement released by her attorney, Jolie said: “This decision was made for the health of the family.”
Pitt and Jolie famously met in 2003 on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and began publicly dating a few years later. They married in 2014 after getting engaged in April 2012.
The couple were last seen together with Vivienne and Knox in July when they celebrated their two youngest kids’ birthdays in Los Angeles showing light PDA.
The Jolie-Pitt family out and about:
