Thursday, 19 March 2009

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Kanye West charged with three misdemeanors in paparazzi scuffle

Rapper could face up to two and half years in jail

Kanye West was arrested back in September 2008

This may be one rap he can't beat.

Kanye West has been formally charged with three misdemeanors stemming from a scuffle with paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 11.

West, 31, was charged with misdemeanor vandalism, battery and grand theft, the L.A. City Attorney's office announced in a statement Wednesday.

West's road manager, Don Crawley, 33, has been charged with the same counts, but two of each.

If convicted of all charges, West could face up to two years and six months in jail andCrawley could face up to five years in jail, according to the statement.

Six months ago, the pair were arrested at the airport while attempting to catch a flight to Honolulu. Video of the incident showed both men wrestling a camera away from a photographer, and both smashing parts of it into the ground Crawley also allegedly smashed a second photographer's camera. The incident resulted in minor injuries to one of the photographers, prosecutors say.

"I'm cool with the paparazzi," the rapper wrote on his blog the following day. "This guy wasn't cool. I gotta work now ... I'll rant later!"

On Nov. 14, West was arrested in Newcastle, England, after another run-in with a photographer, but West was released without charge.

West's lawyer, Blair Berk, wasn't immediately available for comment. A rep for Kanye West could not be reached. An arraignment is set for April 14.

^{By Ken Lee}