Rapper Travis Scott is wanted for questioning after he allegedly punched a sound engineer and trashed $12,000 worth of equipment at a Manhattan nightclub early Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for the New York City Police Dept. told The Times that officers from the Midtown Precinct South responded to a call from Club Nebula around 3:25 a.m., after a sound engineer said he became “engaged in a verbal dispute” with Scott, which escalated into a physical altercation.
The “Sicko Mode” rapper was performing a guest DJ set at an after-party following fellow rapper Don Toliver’s Irving Plaza concert before things allegedly went haywire. Scott allegedly punched the 52-year-old engineer in the face, according to NYPD, and the victim was not in pain and did not have any visible injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.
The 31-year-old rapper, who has not been arrested, is also accused of damaging an audio speaker and video screen before he left the nightclub, causing approximately $12,000 in damages.
While Scott is wanted for questioning for an assault and criminal mischief complaint, NYPD says the investigation is ongoing.
“It all happened very fast,” Legends of the Night promoter Vadym Petrov told The Times Wednesday in a written response to a question through Instagram. “Security asked us not to record.”
Petrov also said that Scott left the club immediately after the incident. And while he didn’t see everything that happened, he did notice Scott was visibly upset with the sound person. The promoter also shared an Instagram post and story that show Scott at the event, standing behind the DJ booth, with the caption “Last night before @travisscott got wild.”
In a statement provided to The Times Wednesday by Scott’s representative, Ted Anastasiou, Club Nebula managing partner Ritchie Romero said, “This is blown completely out of proportion.”
Dorian Harrington, the talent booker who booked Toliver to host his after-party at Club Nebula, was reportedly onstage with Scott during his surprise DJ set. “This is a total misunderstanding,” he said in another statement Anastasiou provided to The Times. “What I saw on stage doesn’t reflect what I read in the news. The music and the night turned out great and everyone left peacefully.”
Scott’s lawyer, Mitchell Schuster, is also insisting the incident was nothing more than a misunderstanding.
“While this is clearly a misunderstanding being blown out of proportion by clickbait and misinformation, we are actively working with the venue and law enforcement to resolve and set the record straight,” Schuster said in a statement also from Anastasiou. “We are confident our client will be cleared of any wrongdoing.”
Scott, who is no stranger to controversy, is set to headline the Rolling Loud festival in Inglewood this weekend. It will be his first local appearance since his Astroworld concert in November 2021, where a fatal crowd crush killed 10 people.
