September 12, 2008

Kanye West Released From Jail

By Chris Harris (MTV.com)

Kanye West and his road manager, Don Crowley, were released Thursday afternoon (September 11) from the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division on $20,000 bail following their arrests Thursday morning by Los Angeles International Airport police near the American Airlines terminal. Both men were charged with felony vandalism stemming from an incident at LAX that involved members of the paparazzi, according to a spokesperson for the airport's public-relations office.

According to police, West and Crowley were waiting for a flight to Honolulu, when they were met by a photographer and videographer, who started taking their photos. An altercation ensued, and the cameras of both paparazzi were damaged by West and Crowley.

On Thursday, TMZ.com reported that West was arrested after grabbing a camera - valued at more than $10,000 - that belonged to a member of the paparazzi and throwing it to the ground, smashing it. When the photographer approached the rapper and began taking pictures of him, West confronted him, grabbed his camera and hurled it to the ground.

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.

Initial reports suggested that Crowley was additionally charged with battery. However, police determined that no battery had occurred, following their initial investigation.

At press time, representatives for West had not yet commented on the incident.