X17 XCLUSIVE - Sean Penn Attacks Photographers And Scares Bystanders At La Scala!

Last night Sean Penn, son Hopper Jack and a pal went to La Scala in Brentwood around 8PM, and when we caught the guys leaving a few hours later, things got very ugly!

As soon as Sean saw photographers in the restaurant parking lot, he rushed right up to them, spitting and hurling insults. Ahh, what a great example to set for his son! Oh wait, didn't Hopper get busted for drug possession a few weeks ago? He WAS cleared of all charges, but it sounds like we have a Redmond O'Neill 2.0 in the making!

An X17 photographer on the scene tells X17online exclusively:

"Sean looked like a wild beast with hate in his eyes, and he was visibly intoxicated as he screamed at photographers. He got close enough to me that I could smell alcohol on his breath, and I was stunned when I saw him get behind the wheel of his car. People and children nearby appeared frightened by his behavior, and they couldn't seem to believe that this animal was an Oscar winning actor!"

After his hissy fit, Sean and company hopped into a grey Mustang, and our photogs tell us Sean was driving erratically and "barely able to get out of the parking lot." Yikes!