Kanye West is being investigated by LA police for allegedly assaulting a paparazzi on Friday afternoon. West and photographer Daniel Ramos were caught in an altercation at LAX airport, in a scene that was captured on two videos.
In one clip, West tells Ramos, "What you're trying to do is get me in trouble," moments before he runs at the photographer, almost knocking him to the ground. West had been making his way from the Tom Bradley flight terminal to his car while Ramos peppered him with camera-flashes and questions.
West "seemed like he was getting offended", one witness, jiu jitsu expert Samir Chantre, told the LA Times, but the rapper's full motivation is unclear: despite being surrounded by numerous paparazzi, West only appears angry at Ramos. The fight is brief: a security guard quickly intervenes, yelling at them to stop, and West disappears into his car.
By the time police and paramedics arrived, West was long gone. Ramos had no visible signs of injury, according to the Times, but he said he had been hurt and was taken to hospital for treatment. LA police are reportedly investigating the incident as a felony: attempted robbery.
In another recent paparazzi video, West ordered photographers to stop talking to him. "Don't talk to me at all, and don't talk to anyone I know at all, and tell everybody: 'Never talk to anyone that [he] knows,'" he said.
Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian's mother, has defended her son-in-law: "He doesn't have a short temper like everybody thinks," she said on Friday. "I think what happens with anybody who gets upset over something with paparazzi-related issues is that they are obviously provoked to an extent that we don't see nothing about."
