14 DAY TRIAL // After the incident of a week ago, when Chris Brown allegedly attacked girlfriend Rihanna after a dispute that seems to have started over a text message he received, actor Terrence Howard took it upon himself to speak in Brown’s defense. He later retracted his statements, but his words still made a powerful impact as he was defending an alleged abuser. An explanation for this could be found in the fact that Howard too is a wife-beater, The Smoking Gun has learned.
In 2001, the Oscar-nominated actor was arrested after going to his estranged wife’s house, breaking down the door and hitting her repeatedly. This is the first time that his criminal past is coming to light, and it could also serve as an explanation for his “This is life” excuse he offered in the Brown-Rihanna case, several media outlets are pointing out. Charged on four counts, it’s no wonder that Terrence Howard wanted to keep the incident from the media, it is further said.
Howard and ex-wife Lori McCommas had an argument over the phone, which ended with him saying, “Don’t disrespect me by hanging up on me or I’ll come over and hurt you,” police records show. The woman obviously hung up the phone and then called the police, since the threat seemed to her as genuine as it gets. Howard, on his part, went over to the house, broke down the door and attacked McCommas, and would have perhaps done more damage to her had not his brother and the police shown up.
“McCommas ran to the rear of the house and into the backyard. Howard then ‘broke the front door down and ran through the screen door in the kitchen. Howard then grabbed the victim's left arm and punched her twice with a closed fist in the left side of the face.’ […] When a Whitemarsh cop responded to the scene, Howard admitted, ‘I broke the door down and hit my wife.’ A second officer noted there was ‘fresh damage to the front door and marks on the victim’s face and arm from being struck’.” The Smoking Gun writes citing the police report.
As noted above, in the aftermath of the Chris Brown domestic violence incident, Howard told the media that things like these did happen, as opposed to other celebrities who have, in the meantime, urged the fans and the media to not jump to conclusions until the police investigation is concluded. “It’s just life, man. Chris is a great guy. He’ll be alright. And Rihanna knows he loves her, you know? They’ll be alright.” was Howard’s initial reaction to the incident. Understandably, it was interpreted as condoning domestic violence, for which reason he later retracted the statement, saying he did not have all the details when he first made it.