Last August, Kevin Gates made the news for kicking a woman during one of his performances and was later charged with simple battery. While the video showed the woman grabbing on his shorts, Gates said that the woman had actually grabbed his d*ck and he felt threatened. As it turns out, the judge didn’t believe Kevin’s explanation of events and dismissed the “stand your ground” defense.
Judge Sharon Franklin said Gates’ kicking of the woman was not an appropriate response to having his shorts grabbed. Judge Franklin went on to the say “while a simple act of touching or pushing someone without his or her consent may amount to simple battery, the Court finds that such a minor act does not necessarily rise to such a level as to justify the use of force in return.” She also said Gates “testified that he is always scared for his safety at his shows because of death threats he’s received, yet he allowed a very young child to not only walk out on stage with him but allowed this child to remain on the stage for the entire performance.”
The New Orleans rapper faces a year in jail if convicted of the battery charge. Although a trial date has not been set, the next hearing for the case is scheduled for August 25th.
(Via The Ledger)
