In a slight irony, Snoop Dogg had to cancel his performance at South Africa's Freedom Day celebrations in Johannesburg yesterday because he was locked up at Heathrow police station. He and five of his entourage were arrested on suspicion of affray and violent disorder after a "disturbance" in the business lounge of Terminal 1 at the London airport, or most probably just outside the lounge given that the fracas seems to have begun when Snoop and his posse were refused admission to the facility. Some thirty people were involved in the incident, which left no less than seven police officers with albeit minor injuries. Hey, you can tell when Snoop's been in town.
A police spokesman confirmed yesterday: "Police were called at 6pm last night to reports of a disturbance involving 30 people in a business lounge at Terminal 1. The party was told that they would not be permitted to board their flight and officers then attempted to direct the group to baggage reclaim. A number of the group became abusive and pushed officers."
The rapper and his people spent Wednesday night in the Heathrow police station cells, but were released on bail yesterday, ordered to return to a West London police stations at some point in May. It is unclear if Snoop will now make it to South Africa for his other two scheduled gigs there - in Durban tomorrow and Cape Town on Monday. Certainly he won't be able to use a BA flight to get there. A spokesman for British Airways told reporters: "Given the nature of the disturbance they have been banned from travelling with BA for the foreseeable future".