Police confirm that the rapper was arrested this morning at Los Angeles International Airport following an altercation with photographers.
The shutterbugged West, 31, faced off with several cameramen in the American Airlines terminal at 7:51 a.m. while en route to boarding a flight to Honolulu. He allegedly smashed an offending video camera, valued at $10,000, and wound up getting arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, says airport spokesman Marshall Lowe.
West's road manager, Don Crowley, was also collared for felony vandalism. While police were originally informed that a potential battery had also taken place, an initial investigation determined that no battery occurred.
An eyewitness describes to the scene to E! News: "Some time before 8, Kanye and a big posse arrived at the terminal. He got out and a bunch of paparazzi were swirling around him...
"Kanye had on a hoodie and was trying to get inside the American Airlines check-in area. The paparazzi got close and one of the Kanye security guys got into it with a paparazzi guy. It was a quite a scene and cops came.
"This all happpened while his security was whisking him into the terminal...He hadn't made it to security. It was just a mess."
TMZ claims one of its cameramen were among those accosted by West's crew.
Investigators are currently questioning witnesses at the airport.
Both West and Crowley remain in custody at the LAX station. They are expected to be transported to the LAPD Pacific Division for booking later in the day.
(Originally published Sept. 11, 2008, at 9:02 a.m. PT.)
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(E! Online)
