Rapper Dave East Pepper-Sprayed In Face By Montreal Police [VIDEO]
By Afouda Bamidele on December 19, 2023 at 2:24 PM EST
Updated on December 19, 2023 at 2:54 PM EST
Dave East was reportedly pepper-sprayed by Montreal police after his concert at Le Rouge Bar in Canada.
While the circumstances that led the authorities to the venue remain unclear, videos shared on social media depict the Service de Police de la Ville de Montreal [SPVM] informing a patron in French that they would be conducting searches on everyone present.
Dave East's Pepper-Spraying Incident Has Social Media Users Reacting
What was supposed to be a good time quickly turned terrible for East and several other people after SPVM intercepted him on what appeared to be a street following his concert. In one uploaded footage, the American rapper is seen yelling as a few people, including the person behind the camera, ask him to "relax."
A whistle blew in the background as the person behind the camera moved back to cover the situation. As soon as the whistle stopped sounding, there appeared to be some mist hinting at the 35-year-old getting pepper-sprayed by an officer.
The action promptly dispelled the crowd as the onlookers began covering their eyes and face with their hands and hoodies. With the crowd gone, viewers are treated to a view of East getting pushed into the back of a stationary cop car.
The "Phone Jumpin" hitmaker's head is bent forward as if in a trance while officers hold his hands behind his back. Meanwhile, the individual recording is heard shouting at the officers in French as the scene continued unfolding, and the cops made to drive away from the scene.
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An eyewitness captioned their video, "Dave East was pepper sprayed in the face by Montreal police last night after a show." The viral clip elicited mixed reactions from viewers. While one person claimed, "Montreal going viral for s— like this not a good look," another observed, "He took 2 steps back b4 they sprayed him. LAWSUIT!! Looks like he was in front a business as well."
A third online native asserted, "He forgot he wasn't in New York. You can't talk reckless to cops outside of that state or they will go to pound town."
Taking a swipe at the SPVM, someone else explained, "Police just be abusing their power left and right. When are they going to start being held accountable? 9/10 they are the only ones escalating these situations. No one was being aggressive but the police in this particular situation."
"He really wasn't even doing anything tho so I hope he sues the f—outta them," yet another Instagram user shared, as a sixth online personality quipped, "All that tough guy but can't handle pepper spray," and a seventh added, "He's always getting into something."
Story Developing...
Dave East's Previous Run-In With Law Enforcement
The last time East had gotten "into something" was on May 22, 2020, when he was arrested by police for possession of marijuana just hours before attending a close friend's funeral.
As reported by The Blast, the father of one was a passenger in a car that the New York Police Department [NYPD] pulled over around 1 am on the already-mentioned date.
Even though the initial reason for the stop was the driver failing to signal a turn, the responding law enforcement agents detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle after it stopped. They subsequently removed a passenger identified as David Brewster, the rapper's birth name, from the vehicle.
East, accused of becoming aggressive and non-compliant with officers, was then taken to the 114th precinct. However, his demeanor seemed different at the station, with police stating that he cooperated with investigators by providing his ID.
He was subsequently issued two summonses and received citations for disorderly conduct and marijuana possession before securing his release. Later, the "Type of Time" performer posted a video from the arrest scene, showing him being taken out of the car by the NYPD. In the clip, a brief struggle between East and the officers can be observed.
After he declared that he was not resisting, the cops proceeded to escort him to the police car. As the scene played out, one woman exclaimed, "No, no, no, please," while another lady reminded him, "East, you gotta be at the funeral tomorrow."
The funeral was for his close pal, rapper Kiing Shooter, who passed away from complications related to COVID-19 on May 5.