Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts & Entertainment

Kanye West Charged With Battery, Grand Theft In LAX Attack

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

Two months after lashing out a pesky photographer who was hounding him at LAX, Kanye West has finally been charged with battery and grand theft.

Before the July 19 incident, West had demanded that the paparazzi just stop talking to him. Of course, one of the paparazzi refused, asking, "Why can't we talk to you?" West was furious and approached him, only for the photographer Daniel Ramos to claim, "No, I don't want to fight with you. Seriously, I don't want to fight with you, man." West suggested that Ramos was looking for a $250,000 payout and then shoves Ramos.

Ramos hired Gloria Allred to represent him, and Allred said Ramos was using crutches and a cane, "Mr. West suddenly attacked Danny, punching him and attempting to wrestle Danny's camera from his hands. Danny held onto his camera and fell down onto his knees onto the paved sidewalk with enough force that he sustained injuries to his right hip, was in great pain and had to be transported in an ambulance to the emergency room."

The charges are misdemeanors; if convicted of both, West faces up to a year in jail. The city attorney's office has set the musician's arraignment for October 10 but West doesn't need to show up if he has an attorney appear in his place. In the meantime, West seems concerned with the progress of his future home with Kim Kardashian.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right