Police in Los Angeles confirm they are investigating claims that movie star Mel Gibson was involved in a domestic violence incident with his ex-girlfriend.
Mel Gibson and ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva
have a daughter together
The Sheriff's Department said it had opened a preliminary inquiry into the alleged attack.
A statement said they were investigating an incident in Malibu, California, in January involving Gibson and his ex Oksana Grigorieva.
The department said the probe had only just begun and no more information would be released.
Gibson, 54, and Ms Grigorieva, 40, a Russian singer, split in April after dating for a year.
They have a eight-month-old daughter Lucia.
Ms Grigorieva also has a 13-year-old son Alexander by former James Bond star Timothy Dalton.
The pair last week filed restraining orders against each other.
Allegations of their stormy relationship emerged on an American news website yesterday.
Gibson was arrested in 2006 after he made anti-Semitic comments to police officers who arrested him for drink-driving.
His criminal record was cleared in October 2009.