Harrelson's Bumpy Ride

By Stephen M. Silverman

03/27/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Woody Harrelson, currently Grace's love interest on "Will & Grace," was stopped by San Francisco police on Monday for running a stop sign on his bicycle. "It was so silly," the actor, 39, told the Associated Press. "The only thing that interfered with us was the cop." At the time of his run-in with the law, Harrelson and about eight friends were riding their bikes from Seattle to Santa Barbara in order to spread a message about simple, organic living. Harrelson said that police tried to ticket him for his infraction, but he gave his name as William Poindexter (the Texas-born actor's real name is Woodrow Tracy Harrelson; Poindexter was the name of a Texas lawyer and prohibitionist in the '20s). He also told the officer to arrest him or let him go. Harrelson has ticked off authorities in the City by the Bay before. In 1996, he and several other activists caused a five-hour traffic jam when they climbed the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge in order to hang a banner with the message for the government to protect a 60,000-acre redwood grove. Harrelson was fined $1,000 and forced to perform 25 hours of community service.