Two people associated with rapper Nardo Wick have been arrested for assaulting one of his fans, according to the Tampa Police Department.
A 34-year-old named Zachary L. Benton and an unidentified minor, who is just 15 years old, surrendered to the cops. They were both charged with felony battery, while the juvenile was charged with possession of a firearm while wearing a mask.
The two men were caught on camera attacking a fan named George Obregon Jr. after Nardo Wick performed at Club Skye in Tampa. Obregon approached Nardo Wick for a photo, but he was brutally assaulted by the two individuals from Nardo Wick’s group.
One of the attackers sucker-punched Obregon, while another landed a blow to Obregon’s head. He was knocked unconscious and collapsed backward onto the concrete.
The aftermath of the incident was severe. Obregon suffered a concussion and brain bleeding, necessitating his admission to a local hospital in a critical but stable condition.
Nardo Wick, in a statement, expressed his dismay over the incident. He clarified that he did not condone the violence against his fans and had communicated his concerns and apologies to Obregon and his mother.
“I don’t condone what happened to my fan George after my show in any type of way,” Nardo Wick wrote. “I expressed to him and his mama how sorry and concerned I was that it happened to him multiple times before anything was ever posted on the internet. I sent his mama my number instantly the night it happened. I was even gone make a post to try to find out who he was before his mama text me. I can’t control another grown [man’s] actions. I ain’t know that was gone happen, and I was mad when it happened. I tried to stop it as u can see in the video, and if somebody got the longer video you can see how mad I was. I love and appreciate all my fans and don’t condone what happened at all dat s### ain’t gangsta or cool in no type of way.”
In a follow-up statement on his social media, Nardo Wick seemed genuinely concerned about Obregon.
“It ain’t about trying to stop nothing from happening ’cause I don’t want to get sued. It ain’t none of that,” Nardo Wick further stated on Instagram. “I genuinely care about the fan. That’s all I’m worrying about right now.”
Nardo Wick’s manager stated that the attackers were not Wick’s security or directly connected to him as an artist under RCA Records.
Obergon’s mother said her son was conscious but the extent of his injuries cannot be determined yet.
“To say my son is in this situation for a simple selfie is just mind-blowing,” Michelle Obergon told Tampa’s News 10. “We cannot say with a brain injury where he can be in a week, two weeks, a year, five years. The brain has to heal on its own.”