There was an arrest warrant issued for Russell Brand in New Orleans, after a photographer accused the British funnyman of snatching his iPhone and then throwing it through the window of a nearby business, police said on Thursday.

The misdemeanor warrant issued was for suspicion of simple criminal damage. The offense carries a $700 fine, according to New Orleans police spokesman Officer Garry Flot.

TMZ first reported the incident on Monday, fellow paparazzi saw Brand approach photographer Timothy Jackson after Brand saw him taking pictures of him from his car with his iPhone.

Brand was caught on camera running to the car, snatching the iPhone and then throwing the phone through the window of a business which coincidently happened to be a law office.

The photographer filed a police report over the incident, which happened on Monday, TMZ reported.

According to TMZ, Jackson filed charges for "criminal damages" against Brand. Brand has since come out and offered to pay for the window, but did not mention the iPhone.

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Brand took to Twitter to explain his actions and stated that he was defending the legacy of Steve Jobs. "Since Steve Jobs died I cannot bear to see anyone use an iPhone irreverently, what I did was a tribute to his memory," Brand joked.

New Orleans attorney Townsend Myers, who is not representing Brand, said police could later issue a summons for Brand to appear in court without arresting him, or they could take him into custody.

The star of such films as "Arthur" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" has made headlines before for his erratic behavior.

Last year, he was deported from Japan over his criminal history when he was trying to visit Perry on her concert tour in the country. In 2010, he was arrested for allegedly attacking paparazzi at a Los Angeles airport.