by Rapper Travis Scott is wanted for questioning after he allegedly punched a sound engineer and swiped $12,000 worth of equipment at a Manhattan nightclub early Wednesday morning.
An NYPD spokesman 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 “got into a verbal altercation” with Scott. . which escalated into a physical altercation.
The “Sicko Mode” rapper was playing a guest DJ set at an after-party following fellow rapper Don Toliver’s concert at Irving Plaza before things reportedly got out of hand. Scott allegedly punched the 52-year-old engineer in the face, according to the NYPD, and the victim was in no pain and had no visible injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.
The 31-year-old rapper, who has not been arrested, is also accused of damaging a speaker and video monitor before leaving the nightclub, causing about $12,000 in damage.
While Scott is wanted for questioning on an assault and battery charge, the NYPD says the investigation is ongoing.
“Everything happened very quickly,” Legends of the Night promoter Vadym Petrov told The Times Wednesday in a written response to a question via Instagram. “Security asked us not to record.”
Petrov also said that Scott left the club immediately after the incident. And while he didn’t see everything that was going down, he did notice that Scott was visibly upset by the sound. The promoter also shared an Instagram post and story showing Scott at the event, standing behind the DJ booth, with the caption, “Last night before @travisscott went wild.”
In a statement provided to The Times on Wednesday by Scott’s spokesman Ted Anastasiou, Club Nebula manager Ritchie Romero said, “This is completely off the mark.”
Dorian Harrington, the talent coach who booked Toliver to host his after-party at Club Nebula, was reportedly on stage with Travis during the DJ’s surprise set. “This is a complete misunderstanding,” Anastasiou said in another statement provided to The Times. “What I saw on the scene did not reflect what I read in the news. The music and the evening turned out great and everyone left in peace.”
Scott’s attorney, Mitchell Shuster, also insists the incident was nothing more than a misunderstanding.
“While this is clearly a misunderstanding that is 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,” Shuster said in a statement also from Anastasios. “We are confident that our client will be cleared of any wrongdoing.”
Scott, who is no stranger to controversy, is set to 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 fatal crowd crush killed 10 people.
