In their 2015 book “Prison Ramen,” authors Clifton Collins and Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez amassed a collection of jailhouse stories from a combination of everyday folks who have been locked up and from well-known stars. Each chapter begins with a ramen noodle recipe that was crafted in a jail or prison, and is followed by an essay penned by someone who was incarcerated. The names Danny Trejo, Slash, and Taryn Manning are among the essayists (via Good Reads).
Labeouf himself wrote one essay in the book, titled “Error Breeds Sense,” in which he details the events behind five of his arrests. He recalls his first arrest at age 9, when he was detained for six hours after being taken away by police officers for stealing a pair of Nike Cortez shoes (per Yahoo Entertainment). His second brush with the law happened when he was 11, after he attempted to shoplift a Gameboy Pokémon from a local K-Mart.
His acting career launched at age 12, maybe keeping Labeouf too busy to get into too much trouble. But problems with the law continued for the actor at the age of 20, when he was arrested for the third time. It was for a more serious offense than shoplifting from a department store. He was thrown in jail for two days after trying to stab a neighbor.
