Ja Rule Is Sorry

Ja Rule apologized to the city of Toronto March 7th after pleading guilty to assault in an altercation at a downtown nightclub last year.

The rapper was fined $1,200 for an incident that took place at La Rouge Nightclub in June 2004. Ja Rule – real name Jeffrey Atkins – had been facing a more serious charge of assault causing bodily harm, which could have resulted in jail time.

“I’m just sorry about my actions,” Atkins said as he stood on the courthouse steps with his lawyer, wife and bodyguards.

The rapper said he was provoked by a crowd that formed near him at the venue. They were shouting “derogatory” comments about his public feud with 50 Cent, prosecutor Mary Humphrey said, reading from an agreed statement of facts. As Atkins was leaving the club, he punched someone standing nearby.

The victim walked away with a black eye and cuts to the eyelid.

“Hopefully, this was a one-time outburst,” Justice W.P. Bassel told Atkins.

The judge apologized to the rapper for the “disgraceful” comments shouted at the club, calling them an “embarrassment” for the city.

Atkins had been in Toronto shooting a film.