Kanye West, 45, is being investigated for robbery after a viral video appeared to show him grabbing a woman’s phone and throwing it into the street. Ventura County Sheriff Department’s Sergeant Jason Karol confirmed the news in a statement to Hollywoodlife on Saturday, January 28.
KANYE WEST BLOCKS TRAFFIC TAKES KAREN PHONE AND THROWS IT pic.twitter.com/tMtXsddDyi
— YEEZY GOD (@gunnertierno) January 28, 2023
“On Friday, January 27 at 4:30 pm Ventura County Sheriff’s department was called to an intersection in Thousand Oaks California. When they arrived, they learned that Kanye ‘Ye’ West had taken a woman’s cell phone out of her hands and thrown it in the street,” the statement read. “He was not at the scene when we arrived. Mr. West is being investigated for robbery charges. There is an ongoing investigation into this matter. Officers were provided with video footage of the incident.” Karol also dismissed the reports that the rapper was being investigated for “assault and battery.”
The video (above) begins with Kanye walking up to the driver’s side of a car where the unidentified woman is filming him with a cell phone. As he approaches, Kanye says, “If I wanna see my son at a game, y’all ain’t gonna run up on me like that. If I say stop, stop with your cameras.” Notably, the incident took place near a sports complex where two of Kanye’s kids, daughter North, 9, and son Saint, 7, play basketball, per TMZ. After the woman in the car replies, “I know, but Kanye you’re a celebrity,” the “Gold Digger” hitmaker quickly grabs her phone and throws it into the street. He then calmly walks back towards his SUV.
After news of the incident began to spread, Kanye’s ex Kim Kardashian, with whom he shares North and Saint, as well as daughter Chicago, 4, and son Psalm, 3, was asked about it outside her kid’s basketball on Friday, according to a video obtained by Page Six. Kim replied, “Do not talk to me about that in front of my kids,” per the source. The photographer who asked the question reportedly apologized to the reality star as one of the kids, who was unidentified, can reportedly be heard in the background pleading, “Please leave.”
Also worth noting, Kim was attending the basketball game with her younger sister, Khloe Kardashian’s, ex Tristan Thompson, who has become quite friendly with the KarJenner clan. Kim, Khloe and their mom Kris Jenner all flew up to Toronto a few weeks ago to attend Tristan’s mom’s funeral after she passed suddenly from a heart attack.
Kanye and Kim split in 2021, with Kim filing for divorce after six years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.” The pair will get joint custody with “equal access” to their 4 children, while Kim will receive $200,000 a month in child support. Meanwhile, Kanye has moved on with a new wife, while Kim continues playing the field after breaking up with Pete Davidson.