Published Tuesday, 21 August 2012
The Man in the Iron Mask star was reportedly cruising around the capital on his scooter last Wednesday when it collided with another vehicle, sparking a confrontation between the two drivers.
The argument turned physical and the other motorist filed a legal complaint against the 63-year-old at the local prosecutor's office.
Depardieu has since spoken out about the incident and confessed to hitting the unidentified male, but the actor insists he acted out of "fear" because he had been genuinely scared of being knocked off his scooter.
He tells local radio network RTL: "It was more a case of fear than anything else. My reaction was a bit over the top but I was very, very scared. That's it. Full stop. That's all there is to it. It was as stupid as that."