Kanye West avoided charges in cell phone throwing incident

Kanye West has avoided battery charges after throwing a woman’s phone into the street for filming him without permission, according to TMZ. In the January incident, police were investigating the controversial music star after footage surfaced online of Kanye accosting the woman in her car. After an argument, Kanye was seen grabbing her phone and throwing it.

However, according to TMZ, the woman declined to press charges and the only damage done was the fall of the phone. The argument began when Kanye got upset that the paparazzi were filming him at his daughter North’s basketball game. “You didn’t have to rush me like that,” he told her. “When I say stop, stop your cameras!” A bystander filmed the exchange, as did the woman’s companion, who was in the passenger seat.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office issued a press release confirming that Kanye would not press charges and that only about $30 in damages were incurred. So apart from the photographer needing a new phone case there was no damage, no foul.

Kanye’s troubles with the paparazzi are well-documented, but he’s apparently been trying to stay out of the spotlight lately after sparking a flurry of controversy with anti-Semitic comments over the past year.