Rapper Travis Scott is wanted for questioning after allegedly punching a sound engineer and throwing away $12,000 worth of equipment at a Manhattan nightclub early Wednesday morning.
A spokesman for the New York City Police Department told the Times that officers from the Midtown Precinct South responded to a call from Club Nebula around 3:25 a.m. after a sound engineer said he was “engaged in a verbal altercation” with Scott. which resulted in a physical brawl.
The “Sicko Mode” rapper played a guest DJ set at an after-party after fellow rapper Don Toliver’s Irving Plaza concert before things reportedly went awry. Scott allegedly punched the 52-year-old engineer in the face, according to the NYPD, and the victim was in no pain or visible injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.
The 31-year-old rapper, who was not arrested, is also accused of damaging a speaker and video screen before leaving the nightclub, causing about $12,000 in damage.
While Scott is questioned on charges of assault and criminal mischief, the NYPD says the investigation is ongoing.
“It all happened very quickly,” Legends of the Night promoter Vadym Petrov told the Times on Wednesday in a written response to an Instagram question. “Security has asked us not to record any data.”
Petrov also said that Scott left the club immediately after the incident. And while he didn’t see everything that happened, he did notice that Scott was clearly angry with the sound engineer. The promoter also shared an Instagram post and story about Scott standing behind the DJ booth at the event, captioning it “Last night before @travisscott went wild.”
In a statement from Scott’s representative, Ted Anastasiou, to The Times Wednesday, Club Nebula managing partner Ritchie Romero said, “That’s a complete exaggeration.”
Dorian Harrington, the talent booker who booked Toliver for his after-party at Club Nebula, reportedly shared the stage with Travis during his surprise DJ set. “This is a total misunderstanding,” he said in another statement Anastasiou gave to the Times. “What I saw on stage didn’t match what I read on the news. The music and the night were great and everyone left peacefully.”
Scott’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster, also claims the incident was nothing more than a misunderstanding.
“While this is clearly a misunderstanding that has been disproportionately inflated by clickbait and misinformation, we are actively working with the venue and law enforcement to resolve and set the record straight,” Schuster said in a statement, also shared by Anastasiou. “We are confident that our client will be held free of any wrongdoing.”
Scott, who is no stranger to controversy, will headline the Rolling Loud Festival in Inglewood this weekend. It will be his first local appearance since his Astroworld concert in November 2021, where a deadly mob killed 10 people.
Source: LA Times