"24" Star Charged With Assault In NYC

Kiefer Sutherland has been charged with assault for allegedly head-butting a fashion designer at a Manhattan nightclub.

New York police said the charges were filed after Sutherland spoke to investigators at a police station in lower Manhattan on Thursday.

The star of Fox television's "24" reported to the precinct house in a Lincoln Town Car alongside his lawyers, but he did not speak to reporters.

It's unclear whether the charges will affect his probation status for a drunken-driving conviction in Los Angeles that sent him to jail for 48 days last year.

Jack McCollough, of the Proenza Schouler fashion house, reported the incident happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday following and argument and says he was cut on his face. Detectives also may question actress Brooke Shields as a witness because she was at the trendy SoHo nightspot where the altercation took place.

Los Angeles city prosecutors plan to check with New York investigators to see if the incident is a violation of Sutherland's probation for a drunken-driving conviction, said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney.

Sutherland had pleaded no contest to driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. He was sentenced to 30 days, in addition to 18 days for violating probation in a 2004 drunken-driving arrest.