Killer Mike is suing a security company over his citizen’s arrest at the 66th Grammy Awards last year, a high-profile spectacle that caused him to be led away in handcuffs though no criminal charges were ever filed.
In a new lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone, the rapper claims S & S Labor Force improperly used its authority to “degrade, embarrass and physically hurt” him during the Feb. 4, 2024 incident that followed shortly after he won Best Rap Album for Michael and Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “Scientists & Engineers” during the pre-show ceremony. He says the incident caused him “unnecessary public embarrassment, distress and professional harm” and that he continues to suffer emotional distress.
“Defendants wrongly caused plaintiff to be falsely arrested and had him placed in jail during the remainder of the Grammy Awards Ceremony. Plaintiff was therefore deprived of the valuable opportunity to be present at the awards ceremony where he was scheduled to appear on primetime television in front of a huge international audience to appear and speak and be recognized on the telecast for his historic achievements,” the new lawsuit states.
The Run the Jewels artist, whose legal name is Michael Santiago Render, filed the lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court with claims for false arrest and imprisonment, assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
S&S, also known as JRM Private Security, called the allegations “unfounded” in an email reply to Rolling Stone’s request for comment. “S&S Labor Force Inc. takes pride in our commitment to ethical practices and the safety of our employees, clients and guests. We have thorough protocols in place to ensure all actions taken by our security personnel adhere to the law and our company standards. The claim in question appears to be based on misinformation and lacks credible evidence,” the company said.
According to the lawsuit, Render and his team were attempting to walk from the media center to the red-carpet area of the Crypto.com Arena where the Grammys were being held when a security guard stopped and “accosted” Render even though he allegedly had “all requisite credentials” to travel through the space. “Despite plaintiff’s multiple attempts to clarify his identity and purpose for being in that secured area and his direct need to access the red-carpet area for scheduled public statements and to take photographs, defendants refused plaintiff any forward movement. When plaintiff sought to leave the area, defendants physically assaulted and battered him to prevent him from leaving by grabbing his arm and telling him to remain there,” the lawsuit states.
“Even though plaintiff sought to explain the situation in a respectful way, defendants used physical force to invade plaintiff’s bodily autonomy, using hands to touch plaintiff’s person in a manner both offensive and harmful without any justification or provocation from plaintiff, and to restrain him against his will,” the complaint alleges. “Defendants then surrounded plaintiff with multiple security guards and wrongfully detained plaintiff and confined his movements through physical force. Defendants used their position of authority to degrade, embarrass and physically hurt plaintiff in public view, subjecting him to emotional distress and public humiliation.”
Render is asking for real and punitive damages to be decided at trial.
Shortly after the incident last year, an LAPD source told Rolling Stone that Render was questioned and later booked on suspicion of misdemeanor battery because someone made a citizen’s arrest. The source said the female guard claimed that when she blocked Render’s path and directed him to a security checkpoint, he allegedly pushed her. Render denied the woman’s claim, and the Los Angeles City Attorney ultimately declined to file charges.
In a prior statement to Rolling Stone, Render said the guard was at fault. “As you can imagine, there was a lot going and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an overzealous security guard, but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing,” Render said at the time.
Render also touched on his arrest a week later during an interview on the Daily Show. “I won’t talk about my thing, but I was sitting in a jail cell and I didn’t have anything to do so I just prayed,” he said, referring to his arrest. “And I thanked God for three hours. I’d say, you know, just ‘Thank you for the blessings I’ve had been bestowed upon me. Thank you for the life you’ve given me.’ I invoked the spirit of my mother and my grandmother… After I got out the next morning, I got a call that my son got a kidney [after years of waiting for surgery]. So I’m very much more a believer.”