Celebrity Celebrity Legal & Lawsuits Shia LaBeouf Spotted for the First Time Since Ex FKA Twigs Sued Him for 'Relentless' Abuse FKA twigs accused Shia LaBeouf of abusing her sexually, physically and emotionally By Alexia Fernández Published on December 11, 2020 06:45PM EST Shia LaBeouf was seen for the first time since his ex-girlfriend FKA twigs sued him for alleged physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The 34-year-old actor was seen walking in Los Angeles on Friday wearing a black and blue windbreaker and a baseball cap pulled low over his face as he looked at his phone. LaBeouf was sued on Friday by FKA twigs, 32, whose full name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett. She accused the actor of "relentless" abuse, according to the lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE. The New York Times first reported the news. Barnett described several instances of physical abuse in interviews with the Times, saying, "What I went through with Shia was the worst thing I've ever been through in the whole of my life. I don't think people would ever think that it would happen to me. But I think that's the thing. It can happen to anybody." The singer started dating the actor after she worked with him on his 2018 film Honey Boy. At the time, he would show her "over-the-top displays of affection," Barnett said in the lawsuit. She told the publication LaBeouf would squeeze her arm to "the point of bruising" and that she didn't go to the police for fear of harming his career and because she "thought her account would not be taken seriously." Shia LaBeouf. The Image Direct "I just thought to myself, no one is ever going to believe me," she told the newspaper. "I'm unconventional. And I'm a person of color who is a female." In her lawsuit, Barnett accused The Peanut Butter Falcon actor of not allowing her to wear clothes to bed and turning disagreements into arguments that would last the night. She alleged in the complaint she "would be trapped in their shared bed for hours at a time," too scared to go to the restroom "for fear she would be shot by LaBeouf" if he thought she was an intruder. She also described an incident when the Transformers actor allegedly threw her against his car at a gas station and berated her publicly. FKA Twigs Sues Ex-Boyfriend Shia LaBeouf for 'Relentless' Sexual, Physical and Emotional Abuse LaBeouf addressed the allegations in several emails to the Times, saying he was in no position "to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel." "I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years," he wrote to the publication. "I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I'm ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say." The Times interviewed Barnett and another former girlfriend of the actor, named Karolyn Pho, who also accused him of being abusive throughout their relationship. FKA twigs. Rich Fury/Getty Images In a different email to the newspaper, LeBeouf said that "many" of the allegations were not true but explained he owed the women "the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done." Reps for LaBeouf did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment, while Barnett's attorney Bryan Freedman tells PEOPLE, "Shia LaBeouf has abused Ms. Barnett, Ms. Pho and others. We tried to resolve this matter privately on the condition that Mr. LaBeouf agree to receive meaningful and consistent psychological treatment. Since he was unwilling to agree to get appropriate help, Ms. Barnett filed this suit to prevent others from unknowingly suffering similar abuse by him." FKA Twigs Says 'It Was Hard' to Process Her Alleged 'Abusive' Relationship with Shia LaBeouf In the lawsuit, Barnett said it took her many attempts to leave LaBeouf, explaining that when she did resolve to leave him in March of 2019 with the help of a therapist, the actor "violently" grabbed her and locked her in a room where he yelled at her. She told the newspaper, "The whole time I was with him, I could have bought myself a business-flight plane ticket back to my four-story townhouse in Hackney. He brought me so low, below myself, that the idea of leaving him and having to work myself back up just seemed impossible." LaBeouf also told the Times that he was in a 12-step program and in therapy. "I am not cured of my PTSD and alcoholism," he wrote, "but I am committed to doing what I need to do to recover, and I will forever be sorry to the people that I may have harmed along the way." If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.