Las Vegas police drop battery investigation on Cardi B over microphone throwing incident
UPDATED: Las Vegas Police have dropped the criminal battery investigation involving Cardi B that was reported shortly after the Grammy award-winner hit a concertgoer with her microphone.
The Las Vegas Metro Police Department confirmed the case was dropped in the following statement shared with Variety: “After a thorough review of this case and with the consultation from the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, this case has been closed as having insufficient evidence. No charges will be filed in relation to this case.”
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PREVIOUSLY: Cardi B has allegedly been caught in the center of a battery case after she threw a microphone at an audience member during her appearance at Drai’s Nightclub in Las Vegas on July 29.
The Las Vegas Metro Police Department confirmed a battery had been reported by a woman just one day after the altercation occurred in a statement obtained by Variety. No arrests or citations have been issued.
“On July 30, 2023, an individual came into an LVMPD police station to report a battery,” the LVMPD stated. “According to the victim, she was attending an event on July 29, 2023, at a property located in the 3500 block of Las Vegas Boulevard. During a concert, she was struck by an item that was thrown from the stage.”
The “Bodak Yellow” rapper retaliated with the microphone throw after a concertgoer had launched a drink at her during her show. It remains unclear whether the person who threw the drink and the person who reported getting hit with the microphone are the same individual.
Representatives for Cardi did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
In videos posted online, the woman who threw the drink at Cardi can be heard apologizing immediately after the launch. Videos also show the person being escorted out by security; after pointing some strong words at the offender, Cardi apparently left the stage.
The fracas is just the latest development in the dangerous trend that has enveloped the music industry in the past few weeks. Bebe Rexha was almost knocked out cold by a fan throwing a cell phone at her head in New York, Harry Styles was hit with an unidentified object in Vienna, and Latto responded to a similar projectile in Germany by saying “Want your ass beat?”
One theory for the root cause of these interactions is the viral reactions they spark online — take for example the reasoning behind Rexha’s attacker: “I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny,” the 27-year-old man was quoted saying by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
He was charged with two counts of assault in the third degree, as well as one count of harassment in the second degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree and a count of attempted assault in the third degree.
Variety will have more on this story as it develops.
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