Crime & Safety

Kanye West Gets 2 Years' Probation for Attack on Paparazzo at LAX

He also has to perform 250 hours of community service and 30 days of anger-management counseling.

Originally posted at 2:20 p.m. March 17, 2014. Updated with new details.

Rapper Kanye West pleaded no contest today to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a 2013 run-in with a paparazzo at Los Angeles International Airport.

West, 36, was not in court at the Airport Branch Courthouse, but the plea was entered on his behalf by attorney Blair Berk. The rapper was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to perform 240 hours of community service and undergo 30 days of anger-management counseling.

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He was ordered to spend one day in jail, but the rapper will be allowed to simply be booked and released.

West was originally charged with misdemeanor counts of battery and attempted grand theft stemming from the July 19, 2013, altercation with photographer Daniel Ramos. The attempted grand theft charge was dismissed as part of the plea deal.

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The run-in was captured on video.

The case was prosecuted by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office after the District Attorney's Office declined to file any felony charges. The District Attorney's Office noted that Ramos "did not sustain significant injury" and was treated and released the same day.

Ramos, however, appeared in court with his attorney, Gloria Allred, and said he wanted to see West do jail time.

"If I did what he did to me, I would have been put behind bars," Ramos said. "Thank God I don't attack people."

Ramos said he is still suffering from pain from the attack. He contended the attack was orchestrated to generate publicity for the album West had released just prior to the altercation.

"Kanye needs to be stopped before he can seriously hurt someone else," Ramos said. "... I simply asked him a question. And I didn't use any vulgar language toward him or his family. In fact, I gave him a compliment and told him he was cool."

The run-in occurred after the rap star -- who is engaged to reality TV star Kim Kardashian, with whom he has a daughter -- arrived at the Bradley International Terminal.

West's attorney has insisted that the rapper was only trying to prevent Ramos from taking his picture.

On Aug. 21, Ramos filed a lawsuit against the rapper.

His Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit includes allegations of assault, battery and negligence against the rapper.


--City News Service



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