Police body cam catches ‘Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’ star Benzino in racist meltdown
The rapper and former owner of the hip-hop go-to magazine 'The Source' was caught yelling epithets at an Asian police officer during his arrest
Usually when a body cam catches in a racist act we expect it could be a police officer, but this time former Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star Raymond “Benzino” Scott showed that others are not immune to blurting insensitive language when angry.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, newly released body cam footage from the rapper’s arrest last month shows Benzino screaming anti-Asian slurs at one of his arresting officers as he was being taken to jail.
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The 53-year-old Boston native has been no stranger to legal troubles over the years, and on June 22, officers with the Brookhaven, Ga., Police Department showed up to his home to detain him for allegedly missing a court date.
Officers first noticed Benzino’s car blocking traffic near an intersection but when they approached him he sped off into a nearby apartment complex. Unfortunately for him, police were able to get his license plate number before he drove away, and after running it discovered there was already a warrant out for his arrest.
When the officers, one of whom is Asian, caught up to the entertainer at his residence, and informed him that a warrant was issued because he’d neglected to appear in court for a previous ticket, that’s when Benzino allegedly became combative.
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“He kept saying it was harassment because of his race,” the incident report said.
“I didn’t do nothing, and I swear to God if that ticket ain’t valid a lawsuit will be filed,” Scott can be heard yelling in the extended dash cam video now uploaded on YouTube.
Once he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car, he then let out an angry stream of expletives and racist slurs against Asian people. In between his insults to the officers, he also made requests for more air-conditioning and continued to threaten legal action.
“We will not be issuing a statement on this incident,” Officer Carlos Nino said in a statement. “The video speaks for itself.”
Benzino later issued an apology for his rant, but also cautioned that the “same energy” be used for police shootings of unarmed citizens of color.
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https://twitter.com/IAMBENZINO/status/1147591185688645633
In addition to appearing on the first three season’s of VH1’s popular Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta franchise, the rapper previously co-owned hip-hop culture magazine The Source and founded Hip Hop Weekly in 2006. Earlier this year he plead guilty to drug charges out of Cobb County and was sentenced to two years of probation.
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