Kanye West’s Misdemeanor Demeanor

Kanye West could get up to two-and-a-half years in the big house if convicted of acting like, well, Kanye West.

Los Angeles city prosecutors have charged the hip hop star with misdemeanor battery, grand theft and vandalism.

Photo: AP Photo
Z100 Jingle Ball, Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.

To learn the origin of West’s latest legal problems, one must revisit those heady days when rappers ruled the world – September 2008.

That’s when West was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for smashing a paparazzo’s camera. Caught on videotape, West broke the flash of the photog’s camera while his road manager, Dan Crawley, broke the camera and accosted a videographer from gossip Web site TMZ.

West isn’t the only one facing charges. Crawley is facing six misdemeanor charges: two counts apiece of battery, vandalism and grand theft. He could get five years in the slammer if convicted on all counts.