Either Shia LaBeouf got rowdy and earned himself a punch in the face or he was taunted then sucker-punched by thugs on his way out of a bar. In both versions, the Steven Spielberg-baiting, Carey Mulligan-dating “Transformers” star (let's not dwell on “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”) got clocked in a bar brawl, reports TMZ.

It happened on Friday night in Sherman Oaks at Mad Bull's Tavern, “a Hollywood venue in the Valley,” noted for its upscale comfort food and LaBeouf's regular presence at the bar.

Mad Bull's Tavern owner Richard DiSisto tells Us…

“It was just boys being boys. Things got really out of hand and it didn't have to go down the way it did.”

LaBeouf was briefly cuffed and questioned by LAPD officers then released around 1 a.m. No charges were filed as a result of the altercation. By the time police arrived, LaBeouf's attackers had fled. No word on whether they were robots in disguise.

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