Stalkarazzi got too close to Kanye West and his manager Don Crowley at LAX airport on Thursday morning, resulting in a dust-up and a smashed camera. Nothing new under the sun there, except for the fact that it was West and Crowley who took a ride with the cops, rather than the professional ass-pains who usually ambush LAX looking for their next "They’re Just Like Us!" moment for the gossip rag US Weekly.
When all was said and done, the crossover rap superstar was taken to a nearby LAPD office and booked on investigation for felony vandalism. That’s right, felony vandalism.
What’s the difference between misdemeanor and felony vandalism, you ask? Years perhaps, rather than days, in jail.
The hilarity was captured, pardon the pun, in media res by the stalkarazzi, and posted on TMZ. The best part? Watching airport authorities move in and try to restore calm, after letting some tools with cameras get close enough to bother West and Crowley in the first place. What, no Homeland Security? I guess airports aren’t as secure as once thought.
"He’s a very nice gentleman," said Charles Davis, who solicits donations at LAX and witnessed the incident, of West. "He gives good donations to help children. He’s got a good, kind heart. I’ve gotten his autograph several times. I just don’t see why he was arrested. The man just put the camera too close to his face. I don’t blame him."
Neither do I. This might not be as righteous as West’s infamous post-Katrina moment, in which he blurted out "George Bush doesn’t care about black people" while standing next to a blinkered Mike Meyers. But it’s close enough.
