VIDEO: Patti Labelle Sued by West Pointer Over Bodyguard Attack

R&B legend Patti LaBelle is being sued by a West Point cadet who claims he was beaten by her bodyguards for standing too close to her luggage.

The singer, her driver and three of her bodyguards are among those sued by Richard King. The assault outside Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport on March 11 was captured on video surveillance. The footage shows King violently punched in the face.

Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

The 23-year-old senior was waiting for a ride outside one of the terminals while on spring break from West Point, reports the AP. King says LaBelle "lowered the window of her limousine and gave a command to her bodyguards."

The limo driver and a bodyguard claim the man was intoxicated. "The investigating officer also noted in his report that King appeared to be intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. King [said he] had a few drinks on the flight to Houston but denied he was intoxicated."

King was a player for the Army football team. The cadet has been suspended for at least one year and ordered to go on active duty.

In the video, LaBelle does not leave the vehicle until after King was taken away by ambulance. As blood lays splattered on the pavement next to her, LaBelle poses for pictures with a Houston police officer. Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

Comments

[Osiris]

Thug life, huh Patti.

[ThatRealTea]

She from Philly, he should have known better then to step foot near her Luis luggage!

[Carlos]

I love me some Patti but wow. I'm just gonna hope the bodyguards went to far but not a good look lol

[CG]

LOL @ Real Tea

[JP]

It does look like he was drunk.

[Osiris]

So it's okay to senselessly beat people that have been drinking, JP?

[ThatRealTea]

If they drunk and go near the Cartier luggage, beat the breaks off them!

[Greg G]

Cosigning Osiris.

So even if he was tipsy, it's OKAY for THREE men to beat down ONE? And standing near luggage is more important than a human life?

And Miss Patti was safe inside the Escalade, not in jeopardy, the windows were down, and he obviously could not know who she was. Not that a 20 something white kid would know anyway.

Some black folks lose their minds over celebrities. I am a huge Patti Labelle fan, but clearly someone over reacted here.Hopefully Patti did not order this. But if it was a random brother beat by THREE WHITE bodyguards of some celebrity we would be would hot and angry.

[Diva1961]

I don't condone violence. If he was drunk the owner of the lugguage (Patti or anyone) was probably thinking he may do a quick snatch and run or even throw up on it. I think maybe he should have been ordered to move away from it first.

[soulbrotha]

Thank you, Greg G.

[Distant Lover]

This was handled poorly. The bodyguards had no right to put their hands on the young man since Miss LaBelle was in no immediate danger. All they had to do was to move her luggage. It pays to hire bodyguards that can use their brains to avert a crisis instead of their fists. I love me some Patti LaBelle, but they were wrong for this and the young man deserves some compensation because all of this could have been avoided if common sense had been used by her bodyguards. Especially if he was inebriated. How many of us talked shyt when we were drunk?

[Osiris]

Thank you, Greg. People that sing and/or dance are not my idols. That's something I really don't get with people, these days. I look up to people in the scientific community, personally, since that's where my studies lie.

[Cedric]

There was no audio so we don't know what was said. No that is still not a reason to box the poor man. But what surprises me is that the lack of security there?

[Derrick from Philly]

How much should he and his lawyer settle for?

[gb]

A good lawyer could win this case for the victim in a out of court settlement. Drunk or not victim was no immediate threat or danger and responded only after he was accosted by baggage handler.

[anton]

From the looks of it he was standing there first and they entered his space. He does make a gesture with his hand and maybe was being rude--but it's no excuse for 3 men to beat him up.

[J]

that s why u shouldnt mess with Bronx's...

[ThatRealTea]

I was clearly joking, but this is an example of when stars get big headed, hardly any concern for another human beings welfare.

Diana>>>>>>>>>>Patti

[Cleon]

As someone else said, we don't have audio. This person could have made some sort of threat or hurled a slur at Patti to cause the bodyguards to react in such a way. Yes, either way they might have over-reacted but it only takes one time for someone to be up close to a celebrity or politician and pull out a knife or gun, remember Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

More than likely this will be handled out of court.

[Chris Cruz]

>>>> This person could have made some sort of threat or hurled a slur at Patti to cause the bodyguards to react in such a way

The door was closed, the window was rolled up and it would have been impossible for him to see Labelle.

And what, pray tell, could one man have said to deserve a beat down from three men? They are claiming he was drunk. Patti was never in danger and they do not say he threatened her. He was simply "too close" to her bags on a public street.

Osiris, Greg, GB make excellent points. And Cleon, sorry luv, but very few 23 year old white boys would recognize Patti Labelle. Miss Patti is huge in our community but hardly on the radar of the Twilight crowd.

As people said earlier, whatever it was, it was handled wrong.

[Cleon]

Chris, a person doesn't have to know who's in a limo to know it's must be someone famous. Anyway, I did not say he knew it was Pattie. Also, remember, there are no write or wrong opinions and we don't have all the facts. Again, we don't have sound just a video and a video alone doesn't prove guilt. Let me remind you of a famous video of a beat down. The 1991 videotaped beating of Rodney King was an international symbol of police abuse. However, four LAPD officers were tried in a state court for the beating; three were acquitted and the jury failed to reach a verdict for the fourth. (Yes, Mr. King did win the civil suit) My point is, having a video of an incident is not automatic slam dunk in the legal court system.

[DJ]

She allegedly has a "reputation for both inciting and participating in acts of violence in public".

Not my Patti Patti say my name :(

http://articles.philly.com/2011-06-04/entertainment/29620907_1_patti-labelle-west-point-cadet-bodyguards

[Chris Cruz]

Cleon:

I never said anything about a criminal or court case, "slam dunk" or otherwise. I merely said there was obviously excessive force here.

And pointing to the Rodney King case makes your position look even more pathetic. That was an extreme case of police brutality caught on tape. The fact that an all-white jury acquitted the officers did not disprove the civil case, or the court of public opinion.

You must not get out very much if you think the only people who ride limos or SUVs with drivers are "someone famous." Those are a dime a dozen in NYC and many jobs sent workers home in cars.

And speaking as a graduate of the Air Force Academy and a former USAF officer, you obviously have no idea how rigorous the training, screening and process is to be accepted into West Point. These are not starstruck kids hanging around curbs hoping to catch a "case" or a lawsuit.

[Osiris]

Cleon, that was an unnecessary reach.

Man...people on the internet really have no idea of how to debate properly.

[cazualle]

This beatdown was so unnecesary to me. They simply could have asked him to move especially since it appears he was standing there first. I cant say i blame him for suing. If this was Barbara Streisand and 3 of her white bodyguards beat up a 23 yr old black guy, folks would be calling Jesse and Al and organizing marches etc...