The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is investigating Canadian recording artist Tory Lanez on suspicion of an alleged assault on singer August Alsina after a performance at a Chicago theater last weekend, officials said.
"We are aware of the allegations that the defendant attacked artist August Alsina and are investigating these claims," the D.A.'s office said in a statement. Lanez is already facing charges for a separate assault in which he is accused of shooting at and wounding rapper Megan Thee Stallion following a dispute in July 2020 outside a Hollywood Hills mansion.
"The allegations are serious and will be thoroughly examined," the office said.
Lanez, 30, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, is currently out on bail as he awaits trial. The rapper has continued traveling and on Saturday had performed at the Fall Back in Love Comedy & Music Jam held at Arie Crown Theater in Chicago in a lineup that also included Alsina.
Prosecutors are considering pursuing a bail violation against Lanez, who had already twice violated his protective order meant to keep the rapper from Stallion, said law enforcement sources as well as individuals close to the investigation.
In several Instagram posts, Alsina, 30, spoke about the alleged assault on Sunday, sharing close-up photos of his busted lip and wounds on his knee and elbow, as well as a photo of himself slumped against elevator walls with his eyes closed, blood running down his mouth.
He said in the post that the incident stemmed from Lanez taking offense to him walking by and not dapping him as they passed each other in a hallway backstage after the show.
Alsina said that although he was a fan of Lanez, he had never met the rapper before that evening and paid little attention when walking by. The singer, who has an autoimmune disease, said his doctor had also instructed him to avoid shaking hands with people while on tour to avoid COVID-19 or MPX.
"Never any disrespectful words were exchanged, so I was a bit confused at how somehow he turnt him self up w/ anger ... and he snuck me when I turned my head to move to the side," Alsina wrote, adding that Lanez and eight other men approached and attacked him. "There was never a 'fight,' simply an assault."
An edited video of the two rappers passing each other in the hallway circulated on social media on Monday. In the video, Alsina, dressed in a black hoodie and plaid flannel, walks by Lanez, who is wearing a white T-shirt and is standing with an outstretched hand. Alsina looks at Lanez and continues walking.
Lanez is visibly upset as security guards attempt to calm him down. The video then cuts to Lanez, accompanied by guards and several other men, walking toward the direction where Alsina left. The next cut shows Lanez walking quickly back down the hallway, still accompanied by guards with an onlooker yelling, "Tory just said he knocked August Alsina right out!"
Chicago police told The Times that "the victim" walked into a police station Sunday and filed a report of simple battery that occurred on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on the 300 block of South Lake Shore Drive where the theater is located.
"The victim, a 30-year-old male, related he was at the above location when a known male offender approached and a verbal altercation ensued," a police spokesperson said. "The offender then struck the victim in the face with a closed fist."
The victim denied medical attention and no one had been taken into custody, police said.
There are at least two videos of the incident — one from Lanez's camp and another from the venue, according to sources familiar with the incident.
Lanez's criminal attorney, Shawn Holley, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It was unclear how the out-of-state incident would affect Lanez's ongoing case in Los Angeles. The Grammy-nominated artist's path toward a trial has been complicated by several violations of a protective order meant to keep him away from Stallion, leading to increases in his bail amount.
An L.A. County Superior Court judge postponed the trial until December after Lanez made a request for the delay because Holley, his defense attorney, is engaged in the confidential arbitration of Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer and is representing actor Danny Masterson in his serial rape trial in October, according to a Rolling Stone report.
Lanez is accused of shooting at Stallion's feet and yelling "Dance, b—!" as he opened fire, according to an LAPD officer's testimony. Before the shooting, the two were driving away from a party hosted by Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills when an argument led to Stallion demanding to be let out of the car. Lanez is alleged to have shot at her as she walked away, wounding the "WAP" and "Savage" performer.
Alsina, who previously was signed with Def Jam Records, most famously made headlines after Jada Pinkett Smith admitted to having a romantic relationship with him several years ago while separated from her husband Will Smith, in the couple's infamous "Red Table Talk" episode.
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(Los Angeles Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.)
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