Actor Kiefer Sutherland has now handed himself in to police in New York over claims he head-butted a fashion designer.

The 24 star arrived at a station in lower Manhattan shortly after 4pm (local time) to be questioned over allegations that he attacked Jack McCollough in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Sutherland could be charged with a misdemeanour assault over the bar bust-up. It could also put him in violation of probation conditions relating to a drink drive conviction.

McCollough, of the Proenza Schouler fashion house, claims he was head-butted following an argument at SubMercer in New York’s fashionable SoHo district.

The designer was left with a cut on the nose, but refused medical attention.

Reports in the US have suggested Sutherland confronted the designer after he bumped into actress Brooke Shields. Police said they may also question Shields over the incident.

Sutherland arrived at the police precinct with his lawyers, but declined to speak to reporters.

It is not the first time Sutherland — who plays the lead role of Jack Bauer in the popular action series 24 — has got into trouble with the law. He is still on probation after serving 42 days in prison in California after pleading “no contest” to charges of driving while impaired in 2007.

An assault charge could affect Sutherland's parole status. If found guilty of even a minor misdemeanour, prosecutors could send the actor straight back to jail, potentially disrupting filming of the next series of 24.