Rapper Afroman has been fined $330 and ordered to undergo anger-management and impulse-behavior counseling for punching a female fan who jumped up on stage during his Biloxi, Mississippi, concert on Feb. 17.
Municipal Court Judge William “Gig” Tisdale also sentenced the music star to six months in jail but suspended the term in lieu of probation for six months, the Sun Herald reported.
The judge sentenced Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Edgar Foreman, after he pleaded guilty to simple assault for the Mardi Gras night incident. He wore purple-and-white alligator-texture shoes with small alligators on the toes in court.
“Good ol Biloxi Ms ahhhhh the memories. No jail time, six months Fro bation. Colt 45 and no zig zags lol,” the rapper wrote in a unique-worded Facebook post after Thursday’s ruling.
Video that surfaced shortly after the incident showed Afroman suddenly swatting a woman dancing on stage behind him in the middle of a guitar solo. After knocking the woman to the ground, he continued playing.
“This was a completely involuntary reflex reaction to people infringing on his stage space,” Afroman’s rep said in a statement at the time. “It was uncharacteristic behavior that was initiated by outside uncontrolled forces.”
Local Biloxi station WLOX-TV reported that the victim, Haley Byrd, has filed a lawsuit against the rapper and the next step will be to file one against music venue Kress Live, according to her lawyer.
“We cannot untangle the circus that brought us to this moment, but Kress Live did not live up to its legal obligations to provide adequate security for its entertainers and customers,” judge’s attorney Rufus Alldredge told the Sun Herald Thursday.
“That place was a free-for-all.”