Incident occurred at California party after actor noticed flashes from devices used to take photos of him

Bill Murray, the American actor famed for his big screen portrayals of misanthropic men, has lived up to one of his many characters in an altercation with fans.

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The 65-year-old has reportedly admitted to throwing two mobile phones off the rooftop terrace of a restaurant in California after starstruck diners tried to snap a covert picture of the actor.

The incident occurred on Thursday night at a party hosted by Justin Timberlake at the Vesuvio lounge in Carmel, an upmarket seaside resort, according to local reports. Murray is said to have become angry when noticing flashes from mobile phones used by patrons at the restaurant to take pictures of him. He allegedly threw two of the devices off the roof, while a third landed on a cushion.

Sky News reported that police contacted the actor’s representatives on Friday, and he offered to pay to replace the two phones thrown from the building. Carmel police commander Paul Tomasi said: “He acknowledged that he was there and said he is willing to replace the property that was damaged.”

The owners of the phones did not want to press charges, he added, and denied they were taking photographs. Tomasi said the owners went down to street level but were told by witnesses that a passerby had pulled up in a car and taken the handsets.