Kanye West has been named a suspect in a battery investigation after the rapper was filmed grabbing a woman’s cellphone and tossing it onto the street over the weekend.
On Friday (Jan. 27), TMZ reported that Ye is at the center of the pending case, which was filed after deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the scene and were given footage of the altercation.
Video of the incident was also shared on social media, which captures West arguing with a male photographer who took photos of him while driving around with his new wife Bianca Censori. The clip then shows the 45-year-old approaching a vehicle driven by a woman who can be seen filming him with her cell phone. Following a brief verbal exchange with the victim through the driver’s side window, Yeezy suddenly snatches her phone and hurls it onto the street before reentering his SUV and riding off.
“You didn’t have to run up on me like that,” he can be heard scolding the woman. “If I say stop, stop with your cameras!” However, the alleged victim argued that she has the right to film him since he’s a “celebrity.”
West’s history with paparazzi and photogs is well-documented, as he’s had numerous run-ins stemming from the violation of he and his family’s personal space and privacy over the years. Earlier this month, the producer was in a back-and-forth with another member of the paparazzi, who he asked to stop taking photos of him. He also claimed his mental health struggles are a byproduct of the incessant presence of the paparazzi weighing on his psyche.
“Stop. Just stop, bro,” he said in a clip of the conversation. “It’s like antagonistic. You got the shot. It’s like, you don’t even know. Y’all just jump up on people like this.” He continued, adding “Do you know the first time I ever took medication, where I was? Cause I got mad at paparazzi. Do you know what paparazzi it was? The same ones that shot Britney,” he said, referring to pop star Britney Spears. “It has to be some kind of balance, some kind of conversation. I can’t live in California and my life [is] like I’m some type of caged animal.”
In August 2022, Kanye evaded assault charges stemming from a January 2022 incident in which he was accused of punching a fan in the face during a run-in in Los Angeles.