Benedict Cumberbatch was reportedly slapped by a cyclist after he crashed into him in his car last year (18).
The Sherlock actor allegedly left retired fisherman Michael Lawrence, known as Scooby, bleeding heavily from an arm injury after he knocked him off his bike while driving on a country lane in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight in the U.K. last September.
"Scooby was on his brand new bike when the car appeared out of nowhere. There was literally nowhere else in the road to go," a friend of Lawrence's told Britain's The Sun newspaper. "He just put his arm over him and took the full force of the impact on his forearm, which smashed the wing mirror. It totally ruptured his arm. There was blood everywhere."
According to the friend, the 42-year-old climbed out of his vehicle and accused Lawrence, 63, of cycling in the middle of the road and the man reacted by slapping the Avengers: Infinity War star.
"Scooby dusted himself off and, full of adrenaline, reacted as he knows best - by slapping him," the friend continued. "That posh actor was lucky he didn't throw a punch. Apparently it was like a slow motion moment in a film where the man he just slapped took off his baseball cap, and he realised it was Benedict Cumberbatch. Scooby said he nearly had a heart attack."
After the heated exchange, the British actor handed Lawrence a T-shirt and a bottle of water to clean up his arm and then offered him a lift to hospital. They exchanged numbers and Benedict reported the incident to the police but apparently didn't want to press charges.
A representative for Hampshire Police confirmed the collision had been reported, and told the publication, "No complaints were made, no criminal offences were investigated and the matter is being dealt with through insurance."
Lawrence, who is reportedly seeking compensation, told The Sun he was unable to talk about the incident when approached for comment, while a spokesman for the actor, who is thought to own a home with his wife Sophie Hunter on the island, simply disputed reports that Benedict was driving a green Lamborghini at the time.
