Kanye West under investigation after being accused of punching fan

The rapper had a verbal exchange with the individual who was attempting to get his autograph when the encounter escalated into a physical altercation. Photo: Reuters

Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is being investigated for criminal battery by Los Angeles police after he allegedly punched a fan who asked for his autograph outside a downtown nightclub early Thursday (Jan 13), authorities said.

Ye is alleged to have pushed and punched a fan about 3am near the members-only Soho Warehouse in the 1000 block of South Sante Fe Avenue, according to law enforcement sources. Ye had a verbal exchange with the individual who was attempting to get his autograph when the encounter escalated into a physical altercation.

A video obtained by TMZ shows Ye yelling and gesturing near an SUV on the sidewalk. "Did y'all say that or not? Did y'all say that or not? Cause that's what happened right... now," he can be heard saying.

Ye had left the area by the time officers arrived at the scene and the alleged victim declined medical treatment, according to sources.

The incident is considered a misdemeanor battery, which carries a maximum jail sentence of six months in jail, authorities said. Any investigation results will be reviewed by the Los Angeles city attorney's office.

The incident comes a week after Ye was announced as a headliner for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April.

Last October, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams granted the rapper's name-change petition, which also eliminates his middle and last names, Omari and West, respectively.

Ye already released an eponymous album by the same name in 2018 and declared he'd go by the mononym in a tweet that year: 'the being formally known as Kanye West. I am YE," he wrote. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service