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May 03, 2007
Rapper Busta Rhymes Charged With Drunken Driving
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
The rapper Busta Rhymes was arrested early this morning and charged with driving while intoxicated after officers stopped his car in Manhattan and smelled alcohol on his breath, the police said.
The rapper, whose real name is Trevor Smith, was pulled over about 12:48 a.m. near the corner of West 51st Street and 11th Avenue because the tint on the windows of his 2006 Yukon Denali was too dark, the police said. When officers approached his car and asked for his paperwork, Mr. Smith reached over and dropped his wallet, at which point "he was found to have a strong odor of alcohol on his breath," according to the police report.
After failing a Breathalyzer test at the scene, he was taken to a police station, where he failed additional sobriety tests, the police said. He is currently being held until his arraignment, which is expected to take place later this afternoon. His lawyer, Scott Leemon, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
The drunken driving arrest is the latest of several legal troubles for the rapper. In January, he was charged with misdemeanor assault after his former driver said Mr. Smith beat and kicked him in a dispute over money. In an earlier case, in August 2006, Mr. Smith was accused of attacking a fan after a concert on Randalls Island and arrested on assault and weapons charges.
Read full story - NewYorkTimes.com