David Beckham has been sued by a paparazzo who claims the soccer star and his bodyguard beat him up.


We just found the lawsuit, filed last month in L.A. County Superior Court, in which Emicles Da Mata claims on December 7, 2008, he had stopped his car on a Beverly Hills street when Beckham reached through the driver's window and grabbed his camera and attempted to wrestle it from him. Da Mata was holding the camera at the time.

The lawsuit claims Beckham's bodyguard -- also a defendant -- then beat him repeatedly, grabbed the camera and threw it in a trash can. The picture on the left shows two of Beckham's bodyguards on top of Da Mata.

Da Mata says he was injured and is suing for assault and battery, as well as emotional distress. He's seeking unspecified damages.