A clip of Packer's interview with 'Good Morning America' airs Thursday night and the producer shared insight on the infamous slap.
Oscars producer Will Packer is opening up about Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock at the awards show last Sunday in a new interview with Good Morning America, set to air Friday.
ABC World News Tonight aired a clip from the interview during their broadcast Thursday night, and Packer explained that LAPD officers were at the Dolby Theatre, and were willing to take Smith into custody after he struck Rock in the face during the ceremony.
"They were saying, ‘This is battery.’ That was the word they used in that moment," Packer recalled. "They said, ‘We will go get him. We are prepared. We will go get him right now. You can press charges. We can arrest him.'"
"They were laying out the options, and as they were talking, Chris was, he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, 'No, I’m fine'... Even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish,'" Packer said. "The LAPD officers finish laying out what his options were. And they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?' And he said, 'No.'”
In a statement to ET on Sunday night, after the Oscars came to a close, the LAPD said they were aware of the incident but that "the individual involved has declined to file a police report."
"LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program," the statement read. "The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."
A source previously told ET that "having Will removed [from the ceremony] was definitely discussed seriously."
Packer's interview with GMA is set to air Friday morning on ABC.
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