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Rapper Nipsey Hussle Arrested At Trayvon Martin Protest, Says Police Used Excessive Force
Nipsey Hussle attends the BET Hip Hop Awards '09 on October 10, 2009 in Atlanta. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Rapper Nipsey Hussle is accusing the LAPD of excessive force after they detained him and his disabled brother at a protest for Trayvon Martin last night.
Hussle, 27, whose real name is Ermias Ashghedom, was detained around 8 p.m. Tuesday near Crenshaw Boulevard and 39th Street after attending a protest at Leimert Park, according to City News Service.
The rapper told TMZ.com that he's especially upset at the way cops treated his brother, who he says is disabled, "They pushed his face on the concrete. They dropped a knee in his spine then twisted his arm and cuffed him while he was not resisting."
Hussle was handcuffed after cops believed he may have been brandishing a gun but they later let him go when they realized no one in his crew had a firearm. He claims that the cops detained him for four hours, but he tweeted last night about the incident at 10 p.m., so either he was out of custody at that point or allowed to tweet during his arrest.
The rapper told TMZ that the police may have zeroed on in him after a person threw a bottle at his car. He said he and his crew got out of the car to say something to the bottle-thrower, then got back into their car and drove away. Moments later, they were surrounded by cops.
According to the Daily News, Hussle had two outstanding warrants. They also report that police impounded his car.
HiphopDx.com notes that Hussle and an associate were involved in a shooting incident with the LAPD two years ago.
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I from slauson and crenshaw I don't go to jail I drive Benzes and smoke expensive ass weed for living! Lapdk lol otw to the studio
— THA GREAT (@NipseyHussle) July 17, 2013
Related:
Photos: 14 Arrested During Violent Trayvon Martin Protests In South L.A.
Photos: Sunday's Trayvon Martin Protests Shut Down 10 Freeway
Photos: Trayvon Martin Protesters, Police Face Off On Hollywood Boulevard [UPDATED]
Photos: Protesters Rally Against George Zimmerman Acquittal, Shut Down Metro
Florida Jury: George Zimmerman Not Guilty In Death of Trayvon Martin
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