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Rapper Arrested For Vandalism, Attacking Sound Engineer at The Roxy [UPDATED]
Tyler Okonma (Photo by Po'Jay via Flickr)
Tyler Okonma, a 20-year-old rapper who goes by the stage name "Tyler the Creator," created a ruckus on Sunset Boulevard last night when he was arrested for "allegedly vandalizing sound equipment and attacking a sound engineer at the Roxy nightclub in West Hollywood," according to KTLA.
Okonma, who fronts the group Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA), can be seen in video taken by a show attendee confronting a sound man and throwing things at him and his equipment.
Okonma mughsot (Courtesy LASD)
Security guards at the club contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's West Hollywood Station to tell them Okonma "had just destroyed an electronic soundboard belonging to the Venue," said Sgt. Arthur Famble Jr. of the LASD, according to City News Service. Club security were "desirous of an arrest."The rapper was arrested at around 11:30 p.m., reportedly in the presence of his mother.
While Okonma was being taken to the patrol car, "the crowd exiting the venue became angry and rushed into the street towards the deputies,'' explains Famble. The crowd required additional deputies to be controlled, and as a result, Sunset Boulevard was closed between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Boulevard for about half an hour.
Okonma hails from the Ladera Heights area of Los Angeles, and has been criticized for his homophobic and misogynistic lyrics.
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UPDATE 9:34 AM: This morning, Okonma is denying (or has blacked out) his arrest.Via Twitter:
Screenshot
In a news alert released by the LASD, authorities say Okonma "was booked for Felony Vandalism and later released on a $20,000 bond." They included a mugshot (above) with the news alert.
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