The clash between Washington and the autograph hunters was caught on camera

The explosive moment Denzel Washington clashed with autograph hunters outside an event in New York has been captured on camera.

Washington, 69, was in the Big Apple to attend an event honouring Samuel L. Jackson at the Museum of Modern Art, and had stopped to greet fans and pose for pictures outside of the venue.

However, the actor’s attention was captured by a group of men calling his name from the side, leading to what appeared to be a heated exchange.

It’s unclear what exactly happened to cause the Oscar-winning actor to lose his patience with members of the crowd, but he can be seen in the footage scolding someone who had seemingly overstepped when calling for his attention. Watch the clip below:

It’s difficult to make out the full conversation due to surrounding noise, however several people can be heard calling for Washington’s attention and asking for autographs, prompting him to walk over and tell them: “I heard you. You talk about showing love… Respecting me.”

The person in the crowd then responds by saying: “We already do.”

“I said I’ll see you when I get out, which part of that don’t y’all understand,” Washington replied.

“It’s about showing love’ – before raising his voice and declaring ‘or not, or not! we can do it another way… or not, we can do it both ways,” he adds, before walking into the building.

Denzel Washington was attending an event honouring Samuel L. Jackson at the Museum of Modern Art when he encountered autograph hunters (Raymond Hall/GC Images)

LADbible Group has approached Washington’s representatives for comment.

Washington isn’t the first actor to call out autograph hunters in recent months, who are notorious for tracking celebrities down in order to get their signature before later hawking it online for a profit, with Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis recently seen pleading with insistent fans to keep their distance after they waited for him outside of a venue in Los Angeles.

According to a video shared by TMZ, the actor can be heard telling fans following him down the road for autographs: “Guys, please, stop, stop, I’m not going to sign anything. I literally have to go.

“I’m sorry, that was a lot, that scared the s*** out of me. For real, I’m just a human being. Please, I’m going home – good night.”

Jason Sudeikis recently had words for fans who were waiting for him outside of a venue in Los Angeles (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Meanwhile singer Chappell Roan has also called out fans who overstep boundaries in recent months, sharing a series of videos on TikTok where she questioned why fans feel entitled to stalking celebrities in public.

“If you saw a random woman in the street, would you yell at her from the car window? Would you harass her in public,” she said in the clip.

“Would you go up to a random lady and say, ‘Can I get a photo with you?’ and she’s like ‘No, what the f**k,’ and then you get mad at this random lady?”