Sipa via AP ImagesMos Def probably wishes he could Be Kind and Rewind right about now.
That's because Las Vegas police have issued a warrant for the actor-rapper's arrest after he allegedly mistook a staff photographer at a Sin City fashion event for a pestering paparazzo and opened up a can o' whoopass on him.
A spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department tells E! News that Mos Def is specifically wanted on charges of felony robbery and malicious destruction of private property.
The warrant, issued under the 34-year-old entertainer's real name, Dante Terrell Smith, accuses him of getting violent toward Volker Corell, who was credentialed to snap photos for the Men's Apparel and Garment Industry Convention (MAGIC) last August.
Mos Def confronted the photog, per an incident report, when the latter tried to take a picture. The rapper allegedy snatched Corell's $300 Nikon camera and smashed it on the ground. The former Black Star MC then absconded with the broken camera, which was later retrieved by security.
At the time of the incident, Corell wasn’t sure he wanted to file charges but has since decided to go forward with the case. He filed a complaint with authorities and claims he suffered a cut to his left hand as a result of the encounter.
“Because [Smith] is not here in Vegas, a warrant was issued for his arrest once the D.A. approved the charges,” says the police spokesman. “The warrant was just issued yesterday, so now we have the opportunity to attempt to make contact with Smith and give him the opportunity to self-surrender to authorities.”
MAGIC is an annual fashion trade show that highlights the latest trends and usually attracts a number of high-profile stars from the hip-hop community who own their own clothing lines.
A rep for Mos Def could not be reached for comment. Apart from a Las Vegas courthouse, fans can catch him on the big screen as rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry in the biopic Cadillac Records, unspooling Dec. 5, while his fourth solo album, The Ecstatic, is due Feb. 9.