Renner not hurt in Thai bar brawl

PHUKET, Thailand, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Jeremy Renner's publicist says the actor witnessed, but was not involved in, a melee at a bar in Thailand Thursday.

The star of "The Hurt Locker" has been in the region shooting his new thriller "The Bourne Legacy."

The Phuket Gazette reported Thursday the 31-year-old film star suffered minor injuries when his friends got involved in a brawl with six employees at a Phuket tavern. The bar staffers were subsequently arrested for their roles in the fight during which weapons including clubs and a homemade ax were used, the Thai newspaper said.

Patron Vorasit Issara, general manager of Sri Panwa Resort, sustained the worst injuries, with a stab wound to the stomach and slashed neck, the report said.

"Jeremy Renner was indeed in a bar in Phuket, Thailand, as a vicious attack on a patron took place, but was not injured or involved," his representative said in a statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter. The statement also said Renner left the bar when the trouble started and has since resumed work in Manila, Philippines.

Renner can now be seen in the blockbuster "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol."