American rapper Gucci Mane has been charged with aggravated assault and denied bail in a brief court appearance after being accused of hitting a soldier with a champagne bottle in an Atlanta club.
Several sources including Billboard and MTV report that the incident occurred when the man tried to get a picture with the rapper at the Harlem Nights club on 16th March.
The soldier, who reportedly returned home from duty in Afghanistan in October, told MTV he was out celebrating his birthday at the club and was speaking to the security guard in the VIP section of the club to see if he could get a photo with Mane when the incident occurred:
“I was speaking to the security guard, and Gucci Mane hit me in the head with a bottle… And as I looked at him in the shock of “Why?”, one of his friends hit me in the side of my face.
“That is dangerous because if there was to be any other fan trying to approach him, ain’t no telling what else he might do to them…
“He could have possibly killed me. I just hope and pray that I recover pretty well because I still want to serve my military career.”
The incident left the soldier with a concussion and requiring 10 stitches to his head. Local police put out an arrest warrant, and NME reports Mane turned himself in to Georgia’s Fulton County Jail last night and was charged with aggravated assault.
In a brief court appearance last night, Gucci did not enter a plea and his attorney claims to have six witnesses who will attest to the fact that Mane was not involved in what he describes as a melee. Despite this, the rapper was denied bail, and his attorney announced plans to appeal to a higher court to have that ruling overturned.
Mane’s next court appearance related to the charges is scheduled for 10th April.
