Pattie LaBelle Accused of Ordering Beating of West Point Cadet
West Point cadet Richard King will think twice before he gets near a celebrity again.
According to reports by the Houston Chronicle, the 23-year-old King was beat by legendary singer Patti LaBelle’s security and an unnamed woman at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas back on March 11th.
Reports state that King was talking to his brother on a cell phone while walking towards the airport’s passenger pickup area where Labelle’s limousine was parked.
A security camera caught footage of the incident, where King is seen being attacked by three members of LaBelle’s entourage (yeah, R&B singers have goons on deck too).
“Apparently, defendant LaBelle believed King was standing too close to her (no doubt expensive) luggage, even though he was oblivious to her presence and the danger he was in,” attorney John Raley said on King’s behalf in the lawsuit filing. “LaBelle lowered the window of her limousine and gave a command to her bodyguards. They sprang into action.”
Police stated that after the incident King smelled of alcohol, but the cadet insists he had only two drinks during his flight.
King is suing for punitive and actual damages from Labelle, the three members of her entourage that attacked him, an airport taxi dispatcher and the Bush Intercontinental airport.
Following the event, King was expelled from West Point and enrolled in a mentorship program that requires active duty.
“There can never be any justification for the savage battery of King,” the lawsuit also stated. “Defendant LaBelle is hot-tempered herself … She was a full participant in the cruel attack on King. She ordered it, and never tried to stop it.”
Take a look at the video below and tell us if you think the West Point cadet has a case, or if he should just take his a** whooping like a man and move on?
