Suit versus Reeves goes to jury

On Friday, a Los Angeles jury began deliberating a paparazzo’s claim that actor Keanu Reeves knocked him down with his Porsche and permanently injured his wrist.

Attorneys for both sides issued their closing arguments before the jury deliberated about five minutes and left for the weekend. Jurors will resume work Monday.

The attorney for Alison Silva, who claims he was hit by the “Speed” actor in March 2007 while Reeves was behind the wheel of his Porsche, asked the jury to award Silva $711,974, which includes medical bills, loss of wages and punitive damages. Silva’s attorney, Joseph Farzam, said in his closing argument he was a fan of Reeves but continually contended the actor was “a little careless.”

“Would a reasonably careful person keep driving forward?” Farzam asked the jury.

Reeves’ attorney, Alfred Gerisch, described Silva as a “paparazzo gone wild” in his closing argument and focused on Silva’s contradictory statements to doctors, deputies and witnesses about what happened. Gerisch also replayed a video of the Brazilian-born paparazzo using his supposedly damaged left hand to hold onto razor wire atop a fence to shoot video of Britney Spears.