Star Wars actor who played young Darth Vader in The Phantom Menace, arrested

Former child actor Jake Lloyd, known for playing young Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace got arrested last week for reckless driving.

Colleton County (South Carolina) Sheriff Sgt Kyle Strickland told NBC News on 21 June that officers arrested 26-year-old Lloyd on 17 June for failing to stop for officers and speeding, as well as driving without a license.

After receiving a report of reckless driving at about 2 pm on Wednesday, police caught up with Lloyd's car on Interstate 95 and he started to speed away, Strickland stated. Lloyd reportedly attempted to evade police by, among other things, driving off-road and into a wooded area and hitting several small trees before stopping.

"He starts passing cars on the double yellow line," Strickland said. "He's going head on into oncoming traffic."

According to Strickland, it is unclear why Lloyd tried to evade police and that he "didn't appear to be on drugs or intoxicated." Lloyd's identity was confirmed through a former talent agent.

Lloyd's Star Wars role apparently brought him unwanted attention and ridicule from his peers, he said in a 2012 interview with The Daily Telegraph. With staggering amounts of interview requests, plus other students constantly taunting and bringing up the movie to him, Lloyd said his life was "a living hell."

"Other children were really mean to me," he told the Telegraph. "They would make the sound of a light-saber every time they saw me. It was totally mad."

The experience caused Lloyd to quit acting, his last credit coming in 2005, according to IMDB.