Tony Yayo was arraigned this morning [Mar. 25] on one count of misdemeanor assault
and one count of endangering the welfare of a minor, after an altercation that
took place between himself and the 14-year-old son of Jimmy “Henchmen”
Rosemond. The
teen claimed Tony Yayo and 50 Cent were leaving
the offices of Violator Management last Tuesday (Mar. 20), when they saw him
walking down the street, wearing a Czar Entertainment T-shirt. Tony
Yayo allegedly backhanded the boy and yelled curse words towards the company.
"We
adamantly deny the allegations as put forth by the District Attorney’s office
today," Tony Yayo’s lawyer Scott E. Leemon told AllHipHop.com. Tony
Yayo was released on $5,000 bail, but the rapper will need to return to court
on Apr. 25. Representatives
for 50 Cent maintain that 50 Cent was nowhere near the altercation when it took
place."We
are conducting our own investigation to determine exactly what happened in Manhattan
on Tuesday, Mar. 20th,” 50 Cent’ s attorney Benjamin Brafman said in a statement.
“One thing I can say with absolute certainty, however, is that at the time
of the alleged incident, 50 Cent was not in New York State." Cynthia
Reed, the mother of the 14-year-old teen allegedly attacked by Tony Yayo and other
G-Unit members, is outraged that her son would be an innocent victim in an assault
by several grown men. "As
a mother I am concerned that my son, who is a fan of Hip-Hop, would be attacked
by the same artist whose music he listens to,” Reed told AllHipHop.com in
a statement. “It’s a shame that 50 Cent and Tony Yayo could feel comfortable
slapping and physically attacking an innocent 14-year-old minor that they market
and promote their records to." Representatives for 50 Cent have
denied that the rapper was involved in any assault on the teen and have dismissed
sources claiming 50 Cent was detained on Saturday by police, as previously reported.
The 14-year-old victim’s father is Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond,
the owner of Czar Entertainment; Rosemond has had a rich
history of conflict
with G-Unit. Reed is seeking justice for herson and the two of them met with police Saturday after Tony Yayo was arrested.
"This is a cowardly act on my son, who has done nothing to warrant
the verbal and physical abuse he received," Reed stated. "This issue
should not be taken lightly and these men should be looked upon as a serious threat
to society, having taken their relentless public rants towards their rivalries
to a level of extreme." Reed hopes her son’s case will ensure that
children are left out of such conflicts. "This should be looked
as a step away from child molestation,” Reed told AllHipHop.com. “I
seek justice in the form of restoring my son’s dignity and making sure any child
can wear whatever they want without fear of bodily injury."
