Yahoo News Rapper Killer Mike Won’t Face Charges for Grammys Arrest
The saga surrounding Killer Mike’s arrest at the Grammy Awards is a step closer to a conclusion.
The Grammy Award winning rapper, real name michael Santiago Render, was detained at the telecast on Feb. 4 following a scuffle with a security guard outside Crypto.com Arena. He will not face charges for the incident after prosecutors in the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office have elected to not file.
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“Mr. Render has successfully completed the Office’s Hearing process, including a community service requirement that was imposed. We have no further comment at this time,” per Ivor Pine, a spokesperson for the L.A. City Attorney’s Office. The news was first reported by TMZ.
THR broke the news that the rapper had been detained on Feb. 4 inside the Grammys venue. The news sent shockwaves through the music industry and beyond that night as Killer Mike was fresh from the stage after winning three trophies including best rap song, best rap performance and best rap album for Michael. Mike and his team had maintained his innocence and claimed that he would be cleared of any wrongdoing.
Two days after the incident, he released a statement saying such and shedding more light on what he claims happened. “As you can imagine, there was a lot going and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an over-zealous security guard, but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing,” Mike said in the statement. At the time of his detainment, he had been on the move to Crypto.com Arena from the adjacent Peacock Theater, the site of the pre-show telecast.
Days later, he was pressed about the incident by Sunny Hostin during an appearance on The View. “Backstage was overcrowded, the winners were exuberant, and I think security got a little overzealous. It’s water under the bridge for me,” added Mike. “All of my heroes have been in handcuffs — [Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Medgar Evers]. I walked out with the same dignity and respect that I walked in with, and I would implore people to just take that from it. Don’t dwell on the bad stuff.”
TMZ reported (and published video) that the altercation happened when Killer Mike attempted to bypass security who had requested to see his tickets for the telecast during a tense exchange.
June 26, 4:42 p.m. Updated with statement from the L.A. City Attorney’s Office.
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