Sutherland charged in head-butt claim

NEW YORK -- Kiefer Sutherland has been charged with assault for allegedly head-butting a fashion designer at a Manhattan nightclub.

New York police said the misdemeanor charges were filed after Sutherland spoke to investigators at a precinct in lower Manhattan on Thursday. The star of Fox television's "24" reported to the precinct in a Lincoln Town Car alongside his lawyers, but did not speak to reporters.

Sutherland was given a ticket and ordered to appear in court at a later date. It is a minor misdemeanor that is akin to a speeding ticket.

The designer, Jack McCollough, claims Sutherland attacked him after an argument, leaving him with a cut on his face.

It's unclear if the charges will affect his probation status for a drunken-driving conviction in Los Angeles that sent him to jail for 48 days last year.