Police are planning to charge Hip-Hop star Busta Rhymes with assault charges, after the rapper allegedly assaulted a driver who was seeking back pay, the day after Christmas (Dec. 26).
Busta Rhymes, born Trevor Smith, allegedly assaulted Eddie Hatchett, 39, in Rhymes' office on W. Broadway in Manhattan, when Hatchett attempted to collect money Rhymes allegedly owed him.
The rapper, 34, allegedly struck Hatchett multiple times, causing a laceration on the man's face.
The following day (Dec. 27), Hatchett reported the incident to police.
According to The New York Post, police will charge Busta with a misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault, when he reenters the United States tomorrow (Jan. 2).
Rhymes' lawyer Robert Kalina has agreed that Rhymes will surrender to authorities for questioning about the assault, when he returns from his travels abroad.
"I'm just an average Joe trying to support my family," Hatchett said.
The charges are the latest for Busta Rhymes, who is already facing assault charges and harassment for allegedly punching and kicking a man who spit on his Maybach as the rapper's entourage drove by in midtown Manhattan in August of 2006.
The rapper declined a plea bargain that would have allowed him to serve six months for the assault.
In Feb. 2005, Rhymes' bodyguard was shot and killed on the video set for his "Touch It (Remix)" single, taken from his critically acclaimed album The Big Bang.
Police are still seeking to question Rhymes about his knowledge of the shooting and murder, but police say the rapper refuses to cooperate.
