Crazy reporter drenches Tom Cruise at press conference

Four men were arrested after Tom Cruise was I drenched with water at the London premiere of his I new film. They were working on a Channel 4 comedy and may now be charged with assaulting the Alist actor.

He reacted angrily to the prank, calling the man who soaked him a “jerk.” Cruise was on a walkabout talking to some of the 5,000 fans who had packed into Leicester Square for the starstudded premiere of War Of The Worlds and was accompanied by his new fiancé, actress Katie Holmes. As he answered questions from journalists a bogus reporter, wearing a white and green tshirt, stuck out a joke microphone and used it to squirt water into Cruise’s face. He struggled to maintain his composure saying, “Why would you do that?” He added, “Do you like thinking less of people? ‘’ After an uncomfortable silence, the joker went to walk away but Cruise said, “Don’t run away.” He told his assailant, “That’s incredibly rude. I’m here giving you an interview and you do that… It’s incredibly rude.” Cruise then said forcibly, “You’re a jerk… jerk… you’re a jerk.”

The man was escorted away by security guards and taken inside the cinema where he and the three other members of his freelance camera crew were arrested. A Channel 4 spokesman said, “The incident was for a new Channel 4 entertainment show, part of which involves playing comedy pranks on celebrities and on members of the public. The water squirting was not intended to cause offence and was very much in a spirit of fun. We hope Tom will be able to see the joke in the spirit with which it was intended.” The Channel 4 show is due to air later this year and currently has no confirmed title.

A police source said the incident was being treated as a serious matter. “They are being investigated in relation to an alleged assault on Mr. Cruise,” he said. “It was just water, but that can be very alarming when it comes from a crowd out of nowhere.” Following the altercation Cruise dried himself off with a blue towel handed to him by an aide. He then carried on with his walkabout with Katie.