Kanye West could reportedly face criminal battery charges for allegedly punching an autograph seeker in Los Angeles.
The incident, which occurred in January, has been looked into by the Los Angeles Police Department for over a month. According to a TMZ report published Saturday (Feb. 19), police believe they have sufficient evidence to charge Kanye with a crime. This includes witness statements they collected and actual video footage taken from the scene. Kanye has reportedly not been interviewed about the situation. The police’s finding will now be turned over to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office who will decide whether to pursue the case, reject the filing or call Kanye and the alleged victim in for an informal office hearing.
As previously reported, Ye got into an argument with an autograph seeker that allegedly turned into a physical altercation on Jan. 13, around 3 a.m. near Soho Warehouse in downtown L.A. The alleged victim claims he wanted an autograph but ended up exchanging words with Kanye before Ye hopped out of his vehicle and punched the man, knocking him to the ground. Video later surfaced of the aftermath of the incident, which shows a man lying on the ground, while Ye argues with a woman nearby.
“Why did he just do that? What is wrong with him?” the person who apparently filmed the incident questioned in the video. “Can you please call the cops?”
West later appeared to defend hitting the man during an interview with Hollywood Unlocked. “It’s 3 a.m. in front of the warehouse,” Kanye explained. “I’m saying, ‘You don’t know what I’m dealing with right now.’ This dude, he just had this attitude like, ‘What you gon’ do?’
“I’ma just tell you, that blue COVID mask ain’t stop that knockout,” Ye added.
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