Former Disney child star Jonathan Taylor Thomas arrested after ‘kicking deputy’

| Assistant Entertainment Editor Published September 24, 2026 9:17am Updated September 24, 2026 9:17am Home Improvement star Jonathan Taylor Thomas has been detained in LA (Picture: Shutterstock) Jonathan Taylor Thomas allegedly kicked a sheriff’s deputy in the stomach during a late-night encounter with police. The Home Improvement star, 45, was detained in the early hours of Monday, September 21, after deputies stopped a vehicle in which he was travelling as a passenger. Thomas was not behind the wheel, but authorities claim he repeatedly got out of the car and interfered as officers investigated the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has now provided further details about the incident, alleging the former child star became physical when deputies attempted to detain him. According to a statement obtained by People, officers initially noticed the vehicle stopped at an intersection in Westlake Village despite the traffic light being green. The car was allegedly blocking traffic, prompting deputies to pull alongside it to check whether the driver needed assistance. Thomas was a massive child star in the 90s, quickly becoming a heartthrob in his teenage years (Picture: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images) Police said they noticed the person behind the wheel was ‘acting odd and appeared to be intoxicated,’ leading them to conduct a traffic stop and begin a DUI investigation. However, while the driver was undergoing field sobriety tests, Thomas allegedly became involved. Authorities claimed the actor ‘appeared intoxicated’ and ‘continually exited the vehicle and approached the deputies,’ distracting officers from their investigation. Thomas was reportedly instructed to remain inside the vehicle but allegedly failed to comply. When deputies attempted to detain him on suspicion of obstruction and public intoxication, authorities claim Thomas ‘kicked a deputy in the stomach.’ He largely withdrew from the public eye in adulthood (Picture: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock) He was subsequently taken to Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and booked into jail. Records reportedly show Thomas was arrested at around 12.32am and booked at 1.50am, before being released more than 34 hours later. His arrest was later legally downgraded to a detention. The driver, whose identity has not been publicly released, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. The case is expected to be submitted to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for consideration, although the office told People on Wednesday that it had not yet received it. The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station had previously said Thomas became ‘uncooperative’ after getting out of the vehicle during the investigation. ‘Deputies told him to sit back down in the vehicle,’ the station said. ‘He was uncooperative with them, failed to follow orders, and obstructed the investigation, so he was arrested for obstruction, and he was arrested for [being] drunk in public.’ He starred on Home Improvement from 1991 to 1998 (Picture: Disney) Thomas became one of the biggest young stars of the 1990s after playing Randy Taylor, the middle son of Tim Allen’s Tim ‘The Tool Man’ Taylor, on beloved sitcom Home Improvement. He appeared on the series from 1991 until 1998 and also famously voiced young Simba in Disney’s 1994 animated classic The Lion King. Despite his enormous childhood fame, Thomas largely retreated from Hollywood and public life as an adult, making only occasional appearances over the years. He resurfaced earlier this summer for a particularly nostalgic Home Improvement reunion with his former on-screen mum Patricia Richardson and brother Taran Noah Smith. Richardson shared a picture of the trio together in July, affectionately captioning it: ‘My other boys❤️.’ Before that reunion, Thomas had rarely been spotted publicly, with one of his previous photographed appearances coming in 2021 when he was seen walking his dogs. Metro has contacted representatives for Jonathan Taylor Thomas for comment. Deals of the Day Oodie’s cosy blanket sale has arrived just in time for Christmas shopping Save over £700 on Simba's top-rated mattresses in this limited-time sale Topman’s new-season collection has arrived and prices start at just £10 An Instagram mattress left me with back pain – this one completely changed my mind From £700 MacBooks to discounted iPhones, the best Apple tech for studentsb Arrow MORE: Crazy Taxi: World Tour Closed Network Test review – Sega’s multiplayer revival Arrow MORE: Jaffa Cakes and Müller just teamed up to launch the ‘collab of the year’ Arrow MORE: Why fans still love Crash Bandicoot after 30 years and why Activision doesn’t TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.