Man arrested on red carpet says he never hit Pitt

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The ex-journalist who was arrested after jostling with Brad Pitt on a red carpet last week said Monday he was merely trying to give the actor a hug and didn't mean him any harm.

Vitalli Sediuk, a former Ukranian television reporter, told The Associated Press in an interview that was in a fan area of the event that was open to the public when he went in to give the actor a hug. Sediuk, 25, has gained a reputation for outlandish pranks on red carpets in Moscow, Los Angeles and last month, at the Cannes Film Festival when he crawled underneath America Ferrera's dress at a film premiere.

His contact with Pitt, which caused the actor to lose balance while he was signing autographs at the "Maleficent" film premiere on Wednesday, led to Sediuk's arrest. He spent two days in jail before pleading no contest to battery and unlawful activity at a sporting or entertainment event and was sentenced Friday to three years of probation and a year's worth of psychiatric counseling.

"I'm a normal guy," Sediuk said. "I'm not crazy."

The former Ukranian journalist, who has hugged the crotches of Bradley Cooper and Leonardo Di Caprio and crashed the 2013 Grammy Awards said the primary purpose for his pranks is entertainment. "I'm doing this for fun," he said.

Sediuk has been fired by the Ukrainian television station 1+1 and said he does not know what his next steps will be. He said he intends to spend the next few months focusing on fulfilling his sentence in the Pitt incident, which include community service and a restraining order preventing him from going near Hollywood events.

He said he would like to remain in the entertainment field, working as a movie director or appearing in a reality show, and would continue work as a journalist - if anyone will hire him.

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