KIEFER SUTHERLAND - KIEFER SUTHERLAND HANDED ASSAULT CHARGE OVER HEAD BUTT

KIEFER SUTHERLAND HANDED ASSAULT CHARGE OVER HEAD BUTT

Actor Kiefer Sutherland has been charged with misdemeanour assault after allegedly head butting a fashion designer at a New York City party.

The 42-year-old turned himself in for arrest at the First Precinct police station in Manhattan and may face jail time over the incident at a party in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The 24 star is said to have head butted designer Jack McCollough at the SubMercer night club with conflicting reports suggesting the designer may have provoked Sutherland by bumping into fellow guest Brooke Shields.

The New York Daily News later claimed McCollough - a friend of Shields - interrupted Shields and Sutherland and was then head butted by the Monsters vs Aliens star.

Sutherland will appear before a judge in Manhattan criminal court within a month to answer the misdemeanour charge, which is likely to result in a $1,000 charge.

However, the actor may receive a severe response from Los Angeles authorities if he is found to have violated the terms of a probation term invoked over his second DUI conviction in 2007.

He previously served 48 days in jail between December 2007 and January 2008 after being arrested in September 2007 on misdemeanour drink-driving charges.

If Los Angeles prosecutors conclude that Sutherland violated his probation agreement, the father-of-one could face additional time behind bars.