Inside the Legal Challenges Faced by S.W.A.T. Actor Shemar Moore

While Shemar Moore has captured numerous bad guys on “Criminal Minds” and “S.W.A.T.,” he himself has had a few brushes with the law, although he was found at fault in only one incident.

The first incident occurred in Los Angeles in 2006. According to Fox News, Moore was arrested for driving 65 mph on a city street on June 1. The charges, filed on June 22, were driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent or above. The actor took a plea deal in July 2007, which resulted in 36 months of probation, 80 hours of community service, and the choice of wearing an alcohol-monitoring bracelet. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of exhibition of speed, while a DUI count was dropped. Nevertheless, he agreed to serve DUI-related conditions, including driving alcohol-free.

“I’m a serious and conscientious person by nature, but my one vice is driving fast, and it unfortunately took something like this for me to take stock and slow down,” Moore said in a statement reprinted by Fox in July 2007.

In 2009, Shemar Moore was involved in a bicycle and vehicle collision. He was struck from behind at high speeds by a vehicle allegedly driven by Phillip Randall, whom Moore sued in 2011, according to TMZ. He accused Randall of failing to yield for him; Florence Rosenthal was named as a co-defendant, as she owned the car. Moore suffered injuries, including a broken leg, and was forced to miss work. This resulted in unpaid hospital bills and lost earnings. He sued for damages, including the cost of his bicycle. As of press time, the lawsuit does not seem to have been settled or gone to court.

Reflecting on the incident with ABC News that same year, Moore said, “A guy in a car just came and got a little too close to the bike lane and hit me at 40 miles an hour. Thank goodness we were going uphill.” Moore noted that being hit while going uphill likely saved his life, and the incident made him feel humble and appreciative of life.

In 2016, Shemar Moore sued Keith Tisdell, an actor who appeared in two episodes of “Criminal Minds.” Moore claimed Tisdell stole over $60,000 from him and demanded restitution. According to E! News, Moore reported in court that he and Tisdell had gone into business together with a multiple sclerosis charity called Baby Girl LLC, which Moore started in tribute to his mother. An audit revealed a significant shortfall in the charity’s funds, leading to Tisdell’s arrest for embezzlement in January 2016. Tisdell later agreed to a plea deal for grand theft.

“In my mind, he wasn’t man enough to look me in the eye and fess up,” Moore told the judge. “I’ve done a lot for him because he had me and my friends fooled. I’m not here for money. I’m here because he betrayed a friendship. This is not OK. You don’t do this to people.” On August 11, Tisdell pleaded no contest to the charges and agreed to pay Moore $61,084 or face imprisonment. With good behavior and compliance with the plea deal, Tisdell could have his record expunged.

Ironically, a post that Moore made on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the case wrapped, led fans to speculate that a cryptic comment he made about the Tisdell case was actually about the exit of fellow “Criminal Minds” star Thomas Gibson from the series under murky circumstances. Moore would also leave the series before its run concluded.//looper.com