The Santa Monica Police Department issued a warrant for the arrest of G-Unit rapper Young Buck on Tuesday (November 16) in connection with the melee at Monday’s Vibe Awards.
After reviewing a videotape of the fight, investigators believe Buck (born David Darnell Brown) stabbed 26-year-old Los Angeles native Jimmy James Johnson after Johnson assaulted Dr. Dre during the ceremony at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport hangar (see “Dr. Dre Attacked, Man Stabbed During Melee At Vibe Awards”).
Buck, who will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, was one of three men seen on the videotape with knives. The other two have not been identified.
“Mr. Brown is seen lunging over another male and swinging the knife at Mr. Johnson’s upper body while Johnson is looking away from him,” Santa Monica Police Department spokesperson J.T. Butts Jr. said at a press conference Tuesday (November 16). “He is clearly depicted holding the knife after the assault and was a number of fight participants sprayed by pepper spray. Brown then fled the scene and was not identified until earlier this morning. … We are asking Mr. Brown to surrender himself to the Santa Monica Police Department immediately.”
The encounter began around 7:25 p.m., when Johnson approached Dr. Dre for an autograph and began punching him several times.
“As private security persons attempted to control Mr. Johnson, several males attempted to assault him,” Butts said. “Two uniformed officers attempted to intervene and they themselves became victims when unidentified men threw chairs at them.”
James was stabbed in the chest and suffered a collapsed lung. He was rushed to a local hospital and is in stable condition, Butts said.
James, who is on parole, has not yet been interviewed, nor has Dr. Dre. “We have a call in to him, he has not responded, but we will interview him at his earliest convenience,” Butts said. “This investigation is continuing and we are in the process of identifying several other assault suspects. We have a lot of people to interview.”
Butts said he has no idea what sparked the assault and made no connection between Johnson and Suge Knight, a longtime Dre rival who attended the awards.
Initially only two officers intervened, but Butts said 56 officers were on the scene within minutes, including more than 30 who were patrolling the Vibe Awards. Metal detectors were used at the doors, Butts said.
Young Buck has several arrests in Nashville on his record for minor offenses, Butts said. A spokesperson for the G-Unit had no comment.