Five police officers who apprehended The Game, in that previously reported incident at a US shopping mall last year, have filed a defamation suit against the rapper, real name Jayceon Taylor. As you may remember, the hip hopper was arrested in October 2005 after the mall's security services called the police because Taylor was said to be causing a public disturbance, wearing a full-face Hallowe'en mask and cursing loudly. When the police arrived, he made no attempt to moderate his behaviour, whilst members of his entourage apparently surrounded the officers in a threatening manner. The Game was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
The lawsuit, brought by officers Hien Nguyen, Matthew Brown, Ryan Childrey, Romaine Watkins and David Gregory, relates to comments made by The Game in a subsequent TV interview, in which he compared his treatment that day to the assault of Rodney King, and claimed to have been arrested for signing autographs. The policemen also take exception to the distribution of a video of the incident, which claims to show Taylor "being wrongfully arrested and brutalized by the police in North Carolina".
The officers claim in the suit, filed at the Guilford County Courthouse this week, that they were libelled, slandered and had their images misappropriated. They are each seeking in excess of $10,000 in damages.