Kanye West arrested before flight to Honolulu
AP video via YouTube
Kanye, Kanye, Kanye.
Of all people, haven’t you learned by now it’s not a good idea to lose your temper in public?
The Associated Press reports Kanye West and his road manager/bodyguard were arrested at LAX this morning after a confrontation with paparazzi.
Both men allegedly grabbed camera equipment and threw it to the ground, which prompted airport police to take them into custody. They were taken to a nearby LAPD substation and released in the afternoon.
Here’s a link to the updated AP story. MTV also has a report about the incident posted online, and TMZ.com has video of the confrontation (the paparazzi who were attacked worked for the Los Angeles-based website).
One notable quote from the AP story:
Charles Davis, who solicits charity donations at the airport, said he witnessed the incident, and that West was “attacked” by paparazzi, and the rapper “just defended himself.”
“I talk to him all the time,” Davis said. “He’s a very nice gentleman. Very nice. He gives good donations to help children. He’s got a good, kind heart. I’ve gotten his autograph several times. I just don’t see why he was arrested. The man just put the camera too close to his face. I don’t blame him.”
Davis said he didn’t think the camera was destroyed.
“It was just knocked out of the man’s hand,” he said.
Umm… that’s not what the TMZ video shows.
This description of the encounter in the MTV report sounds like a better representation of what happened:
Another paparazzo began videotaping the incident, which prompted the rapper’s manager to grab that camera. A struggle followed, and Crowley threw that camera against the ground, damaging it.
When West and Crowley tried to leave the scene to make their plane, police stopped them both. When police asked the second paparazzo if he’d caught the incident on tape, he told them he had.
West allegedly lunged for the tape, instructing the cameraman to “gimme that f—ing tape.” But police restrained West and took him into custody.
I wonder… will West jump on another flight here tomorrow?
And hold up a second. He flies commercial?
I always thought the Louis Vuitton Don travels via private jet.
New York-based gossip blogger/radio personality Miss Info has a really funny transcription of the video from the incident here.
September 13th, 2008 at 5:48 am
these celebrities, most of them, still haven’t figured it out yet. best thing is to let the paparazzi overexpose you to the point where they are bored with you because the “reading” public is bored, too.
that takes time, but it beats the stress of letting them run your life just because of a lack of tolerance and patience. which is true of most people. but there are ways to turn it around and make it all work in your favor. kanye should’ve done it starting long ago. that’s the price of fame.
or maybe he just didn’t want to go on a long plane trip yesterday.
September 14th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I saw this story on sportsshooter.com
http://www.tmz.com/tmz_main_video?titleid=1788889337
west and his bodyguard…they’re like school in july. no class.
September 15th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Yeah I saw the video on Saturday from TMZ and I don’t know what that guy was talking about, “I don’t the camera was broken.” I think I saw the camera not only get thrown to the ground but then crushed by the bodyguard’s foot.