Eminem To Face Weapons, Assault Charges
Prosecutors in Macomb County, Michigan have formally charged Eminem with a pair of felonies: carrying a concealed weapon without a license and assault with a deadly weapon, stemming from the rapper's involvement in a fight outside a bar in Warren, Michigan on Sunday morning.
According to prosecutors, Eminem is to return to Warren on Wednesday to be booked and arraigned on the charges, and the rapper faces up to nine years in prison if convicted on both counts -- five years for carrying a concealed weapon, and four years for the assault charge.
On Tuesday, Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga told MTV News that the melee at the Hot Rocks Café and subsequent arrests (see [article id="1428612"]"UPDATE: Eminem Arrested In Michigan Bar Brawl"[/article]) appear to have been caused by a domestic dispute between Eminem and his wife, Kimberly Scott.
Marlinga also laid out to MTV News a brief synopsis of what he believes happened early Sunday morning, based on interviews conducted with witnesses by the Warren Police Department on Monday.
According to Marlinga, Eminem first went to the house of a friend, Gary Kozlowski, upset that Kimberly was at the Hot Rocks Café with a man whom Em thought she was seeing behind his back.
The two then took Kozlowski's car and drove to the Hot Rocks Café around 2:00 a.m., where they allegedly saw Kimberly kissing another man, John Guerra, in the parking lot. According to prosecutors, Eminem then jumped out of the car brandishing an unloaded 9mm gun, pointed it at Guerra, and threatened to kill him.
Marlinga told MTV News that the unloaded gun speaks for intent, suggesting that Eminem did not actually plan on killing Guerra and that he only wanted to scare him.
Guerra, who did not recognize Eminem at first, then got into a physical struggle with the rapper, during which Em allegedly pistol-whipped Guerra in the head before.
A few of the onlookers tackled Eminem, and the gun fell to the ground and was picked up by Kozlowski, who placed the pistol in his waistband as Guerra fled from the scene.
When the Warren police arrived on the scene, Kozlowski showed officers that he had a gun. Eminem then told the police that the gun was actually his, which led to both men being arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon.
As police were attempting to determine the situation, Kimberly Scott then turned on the officers at the scene, verbally insulting them for getting involved, which caused her to be picked up as well and charged with disturbing the peace.
Officers were thrown another curve when one onlooker, Robert Lee Brown, began claiming that he was, in fact, Eminem, and began making boisterous comments to the police, who arrested him for disorderly conduct for failing to disperse from the scene.
Howard Hertz, Eminem's lawyer, has requested that the rapper be allowed to travel in order to keep his commitments
to the forthcoming "Up In Smoke" tour, and prosecutors indicated that they are likely to accept such a motion, as long as Eminem is available to return to Michigan on the tour's off days.
The "Up In Smoke" tour, featuring Em, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube, is slated to start on June 15 in Chula Vista, California.