May 3, 2007 6:11 pm US/Eastern
Busta Rhymes Busted On DWI Charge In NYC
by Magee Hickey
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ―
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Busta Rhymes was taken into custody on May 3, 2007, on drunken driving charges.
CBS
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Busta Rhymes was escorted by police January 3, 2007, on an assault charge. (File)
CBS
Busta's been busted again, and this time it's for allegedly driving drunk.
The rap sheet for this rap star is getting longer every month. The latest incident happened at 51st Street and 11th Avenue at 12:40 a.m.
Police said that the SUV that Rhymes was driving had overly tinted windows, which is a traffic violation. They also said police smelled alcohol on his breath.
Rhymes, 34, was taken into custody on a charge of driving while impaired.
CBS 2 caught a glimpse of the rapper's black Denali SUV with what we're told are bullet resistant windows parked behind the Midtown North stationhouse where the rapper was being held on these latest charges.
This is just the latest in a series of recent legal troubles for the hip-hop star.
He is tentatively scheduled to go to trial Tuesday on two assault charges. In one of those cases, prosecutors have accused him of beating and kicking his former driver, Edward Hatchett, 39, during a Dec. 26 pay dispute outside Rhymes' lower Manhattan office.
In the other assault case, Rhymes is charged with assaulting a fan after an Aug. 12 performance at the AmsterJam Music Festival on Randalls Island.
A judge in March withdrew a plea offer that would have let the rapper remain free, citing the February arrest. That offer included probation, community service and a series of lectures to troubled youths.
After the judge withdrew her plea offer, the rapper rejected prosecutors' follow-up offer of one year in jail for each of two counts of assault -- to run concurrently -- and a $500 fine for the suspended license charge.
In November, Rhymes was issued a ticket after police said they saw him talking on his cell phone while he was driving past a Manhattan police station.
Police have complained that Rhymes hasn't been cooperating was a witness in the death of his bodyguard, Israel Ramirez, in February 2006 in Brooklyn.
When the rapper, whose real name is Trevor Smith, finally emerged from the precinct in handcuffs on Thursday morning, CBS 2's Magee Hickey asked the question on everyone's mind: "Trevor, do you think police are picking on you?"
But neither he nor his lawyer would answer that question, as they waited for his arraignment on these latest charges.
Rhymes, known for outlandish outfits and an antic performance style, has hits that include "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," "Dangerous" and "Touch It." He also has appeared in movies, including "Shaft" and "Finding Forrester."
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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