Rapper Killer Mike blamed an “overzealous” security guard for his arrest at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
“As you can imagine, there was a lot going [on] and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter,” the 48-year-old artist said Tuesday in a statement. “We experienced an overzealous security guard, but my team and I have the [utmost] confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing.”
Mike, whose legal name is Michael Render, won Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album (“Michael”), Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance (“Scientists & Engineers”) at the ceremony at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
But shortly after the celebratory moment, Mike was escorted out of the building in handcuffs. Police said he was involved in a physical altercation, and he was eventually charged with misdemeanor battery and released on his own recognizance. Mike is due back in court on Feb. 29 in Los Angeles.
On Monday, Mike called into Atlanta’s “Big Tigger Morning Show”, but declined to directly address his arrest.
“We hit a speed bump, and then we head back to the party,” he told radio hosts Big Tigger and Jazzy McBee. “We gon’ get back to the real question. ‘How did he do it? Three Grammys — 20 years in the game!”
A law enforcement source told Rolling Stone that Mike and his team encountered the security guard, who asked for his ticket and told him to go through a security checkpoint. Instead, the guard claimed Mike attempted to move around her and then pushed her to the ground, the source told the outlet.
Mike had previously won a Grammy in 2003 for “The Whole World,” an OutKast song he featured on, which won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
With News Wire Services
