Shia LaBeouf cuts protest live stream after hearing gunshots nearby

Shia Labeouf has taken his anti-Donald Trump art piece offline after gunshots were heard near the filming location.

Shia started the ongoing project, where members of the public look down a camera and state, "He will not divide us", outside the Museum of the Moving Image in New York on 20 January (17), the day controversial President Trump was inaugurated.

Earlier in February, the Transformers actor relocated the project, which he co-created with Luke Turner and Nastja Sade Ronkko to New Mexico, after the museum pulled the plug, claiming the concept was an "ongoing public safety hazard".

Shia set up shop outside the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, but problems continue to dog the installation.

"We have taken the stream down after shots were reported in the area. The safety of everybody participating in our project is paramount," Shia tweeted on Thursday (23Feb17).

The latest incident comes two days after a masked objector vandalized the camera by spraying red paint over the lens.

TMZ first reported the story, claiming the vandal's graffiti attack was captured on film and that theater officials decided not to report the incident to police, but they planned to replace the lens cover so the streaming could continue.