14 DAY TRIAL // Former child actor Jake Lloyd, best known for playing Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” and for being one of the few actors to speak against director George Lucas for casting him in his movie, is now in police custody.
Lloyd, 26, refused to pull over when police signaled him, and took them on an insane car chase that extended into the next county, TMZ reports.
Lloyd was booked on a wide range of charges
The celebrity publication says that Lloyd was driving his car in Charleston, South Carolina, when a patrol car engaged in pursuit. He refused to pull over and continued driving at very high speeds for many more miles, with more cars in pursuit, well into the next county.
He was eventually apprehended but not before he ran off the road, smashed through a fence and plowed into several trees. The report notes that, before this, he had been driving very recklessly, at very high speeds and crossing the yellow double line in passing other cars.
Lloyd was taken into custody, where he was booked for “reckless driving, failure to stop, resisting arrest and driving without a license.” As of Sunday night, he was still in police custody, not having made bail.
An unwanted brush with fame
As noted above, Lloyd isn’t famous just for playing Anakin Skywalker in the “Star Wars” pic, but also for disowning the role in later years. Lucas cast him when he was just 8, and by his teen years, he had already had his fill of vitriol from “Star Wars” fans, who chose to take their frustration out on him.
In reality, it was Lucas’ fault that the movie turned out bad, he said in an older interview.
Lloyd also blamed Lucas for thrusting him in the spotlight like this, without as much as a warning. He also considered him responsible for failing to “meet the standards of the public” in terms of a satisfying “Star Wars” experience.
At the time, Lloyd said that he wanted nothing more to do with the franchise, but that didn’t stop him from reprising his character for 5 video games and attending “Star Wars” conventions, where he was paid to appear and / or sign autographs.