Rap star Busta
Rhymes turned himself over to police yesterday (Jan. 3) and was booked on a misdemeanor
assault charge, stemming from a Dec. 26 incident in which Rhymes allegedly assaulted
a former driver. Eddie
Hatchett, 39, claims that when he attempted to collect 19 days worth of back pay
for driving services for Busta Rhymes, the discussion turned into an argument.
Hatchett
told police the rapper’s bodyguards him and that Busta Rhymes "punched and
kicked" him, causing bruises and a laceration on his face. "We
are totally innocent of this charge being thrust upon Busta Rhymes and [we] look
forward to putting this past us as soon as possible," Rhymes’ manager Chris
Lighty told AllHipHop.com.Busta
Rhymes surrendered to authorities after returning from a performance in the African
country of Angola. Rhymes,
Akon and an a group named Heavy Seven visited the Kuzola children’s shelter home
on Tuesday (Jan. 2) and left a $15,000 donation and used clothes that will be
donated to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Rhymes
is also facing assault charges for an incident last August, after his bodyguards
allegedly beat a fan for spitting on his Maybach in Manhattan. Police
still want to quiz Busta Rhymes about his knowledge of an infamous shooting in
Brooklyn in February, that left the rapper’s longtime bodyguard mortally wounded.