DOCUMENT: Crime

HBO Chief's Two-Fisted Fury

Cops: TV exec choked girlfriend, said she "pissed me off"

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HBO Chief's Two-Fisted Fury

MAY 11--Deposed HBO boss Chris Albrecht had his hands wrapped around his girlfriend's throat and was dragging the woman when Las Vegas cops arrested him early Sunday morning, according a newly released police report.

Albrecht, who was unsteady on his feet, smelled of alcohol, and was slurring his speech, told cops that he had been arguing with the woman, and that she "had pissed me off." Officers reported seeing red marks on the neck of the 37-year-old woman, who declined medical treatment and "stated numerous times" that she did not want Albrecht prosecuted and that she would not cooperate with investigators.

Officials redacted the woman's name from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report, a copy of which you'll find here.

Albrecht, who was arrested in front of the MGM Grand at around 3 AM, was pried off his girlfriend by a hotel security guard and put in a "submission hold" by a cop who "placed" the executive on the ground.

The 54-year-old Albrecht, arrested for suspicion of assault, was forced out of his HBO post Wednesday by brass at Time Warner, which owns the cable outlet.

A day before his canning, Albrecht announced that he was taking a leave of absence and apologized to coworkers for the incident, which he termed a "wake-up call to me of a weakness that I though I had overcome long ago." He went on to explain that he had been a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 13 years, but decided two years ago that, "I could handle drinking again. Clearly, I was wrong." (2 pages)