Police have named rapper Kanye West a “main suspect” in a felony battery case involving a man he scuffled with at an awards show after-party, but the singer’s lawyer suggested on Wednesday that someone else was to blame.
Los Angeles police spokesman Jason Lee said West was named on Tuesday by detectives investigating the fight at a party hosted by fashion designer Christian Audigier after the annual Grammy Awards show on February 10.
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Lee said, “Mr. West is involved in an investigation of felony battery that occurred at a music industry event at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.”
“He is considered a main suspect in the case but has not been arrested or charged with any crime. It is an ongoing investigation.”
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said it had not received the police report yet and could not say whether charges would be filed against West, who was nominated for eight awards at last week’s Grammys and won two, including the prestigious best rap album prize.
West’s attorney, Blair Berk, issued a statement calling the allegations “completely false.”
“At this time we believe it is inappropriate to comment on Kanye West,” she said. “We will continue to investigate and examine all of the facts.”
A spokeswoman for Audigier could not be immediately reached for comment.
West was involved in another scuffle with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport late last year as he arrived on a flight to attend the MTV Europe Video Music Awards in Madrid, Spain. The photographer filed a civil lawsuit against West later that month.
West and his wife, singer-actress Kim Kardashian were named in lawsuits filed by two other photographers accusing them of ordering their bodyguards to attack the plaintiffs outside a Beverly Hills residence in September.
West’s publicist could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday about his legal troubles.
The scuffle at the weekend with a man named Victor Joseph leaves West with a “bleeding cornea” and a torn iris, the Jackson Memorial Hospital emergency room report says.
The incident took place about 12:30 a.m. on Feb 10 at the soiree being hosted by fashion designer Christian Audigier after West’s appearance as a presenter at the Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles, according to the report written by paramedic Michael Castillo.
The incident starts in the entryway of a building when West punches Joseph twice, “causing him to be pushed into a stairwell,” Castillo said.
“A short time later Mr. West approaches victim again, grabs him by his shirt collar and begins punching him in the face with a closed fist multiple times,” Castillo wrote.
Paramedics found the victim and he appeared to be in a lot of pain, Castillo said, adding that his injuries included “bleeding corneal abrasions.”
