Police are searching for rapper Travis Scott after he allegedly punched a sound engineer and caused $12,000 worth of damage at a nightclub in New York, authorities have said.
Officers were called to Club Nebula in Manhattan at about 3.25am local time (8.25am in the UK) on Wednesday to reports that a man “was involved in a verbal dispute with” Scott, according to a police statement reported by Sky News’ US affiliate NBC News.
The rapper, 30, was accused of escalating the dispute “into a physical altercation”, the New York Police Department said, and allegedly “punched the victim with a closed fist on the left side of the face”.
He was also accused of causing about $12,000 worth of damage to a speaker and a video screen before leaving the venue in a car.
The artist, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, is the on-off partner of The Kardashians reality TV star Kylie Jenner. The pair have two children together.
Surveillance video from the club is being reviewed, investigators said.
Scott had earlier attended rapper Don Toliver’s show at Irving Plaza, about two miles away from Club Nebula. The show’s afterparty was held at Nebula.
‘Blown out of proportion’
Scott’s spokesman issued statements on behalf of the star, club management, the musician’s lawyer and a talent booker who arranged the post-show party, NBC reported.
All four said the incident had been blown out of proportion, with three using the word “misunderstanding”.
“While this is clearly a misunderstanding being blown out of proportion by clickbait and misinformation, we are actively working with the venue and law enforcement to resolve and set the record straight,” a statement attributed to Scott’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster, said.
“We are confident our client will be cleared of any wrongdoing.”
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Many will know Scott’s name in connection with the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival in Houston in 2021, when 10 people were killed and more than 300 injured as fans surged towards the stage during his performance.
In an interview a few weeks after the festival – which he founded – Scott said he had not realised people were injured until after the show, and that he had been on an “emotional rollercoaster”. A medical examiner later ruled the deaths were accidental.
Scott is a headliner at this weekend’s Rolling Loud festival at Hollywood Park Grounds in Inglewood, California, and still expects to perform, his representative told NBC.