The defence lawyer of actor Jonathan Majors says the actor is “completely innocent” and “probably the victim” after he was arrested on Saturday in Manhattan.

He was charged with assault and harassment in what New York Police Department described as a “domestic dispute.”

“Jonathan Majors is completely innocent and is probably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows,” says criminal defence lawyer Priya Chaudhry. “We are quickly gathering and presenting evidence to the District Attorney with the expectation that all charges will be dropped imminently.”

Chaudhry says there is video footage from the vehicle where the alleged incident occurred, witness testimony from the driver and onlookers, and two written statements from the woman recanting the allegations.

“All the evidence proves that Mr Majors is entirely innocent and did not assault her whatsoever,” she said. “Unfortunately, this incident came about because this woman was having an emotional crisis, for which she was taken to a hospital yesterday. The NYPD is required to make an arrest in these situations, and this is the only reason Mr Majors was arrested. We expect these charges to be dropped soon.”

Chaudhry’s statement provides additional information about the incident.

Police in New York said they responded to a 911 call at a Chelsea apartment. Majors, who is 33 years old, was taken into custody without incident on Saturday night.

The unnamed victim, a 30-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital with “minor injuries to her head and neck,” according to authorities.

The police statement listed strangulation, assault and harassment as potential charges, but he was ultimately charged with two counts of assault in the third degree, attempted assault in the third degree, aggravated harassment in the second degree, and harassment in the second degree — each of which is misdemeanours or lesser charges.

A representative for Majors denied the allegations. “He has done nothing wrong,” his publicist told Variety. “We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up.”

Majors, a rising star in Hollywood, has recently appeared in “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” He also received acclaim for “Magazine Dreams,” which premiered at Sundance and was acquired by Searchlight Pictures. It’s set to release on Dec. 8.