Rap star in awards ceremony fight

A fight broke out near the stage at an awards ceremony last night as rapper Snoop Dogg and producer Quincy Jones were preparing to honour Dr Dre, and one person was stabbed.

Dozens of people sitting near the stage inside a hangar at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport in California began shoving each other, a photographer who covered the event for The Associated Press said.

News video showed chairs being thrown, punches flying, people chasing one another and some being restrained.

It was unclear if the stabbing preceded or followed the fight. The victim, a 26-year-old man, was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition.

No arrests were made.

Witness Frank Williams said Dr Dre was involved in the brawl.

“I saw Dr Dre fighting somebody,” Williams said. “I don’t know if he was fighting back. But there was a guy taken out basically bloodied.”

Andrea Ferguson, employed by a public relations firm that worked with Vibe for the awards ceremony, called the incident a “disruption” but declined to provide details. She added the show was allowed to continue but it was halted for about five minutes.

Dr Dre, who was scheduled to receive a Vibe Legend Award for his lifetime contributions to hip-hop, had not appeared on stage when the fight erupted. Jones and Snoop Dogg stood on stage without saying anything.

“My understanding is that it was somewhat chaotic in there,” police Lieutenant Frank Fabrega said.

About 1,000 people attended the event and some scurried for the exits when the melee began.

“It’s really important that we don’t take a negative incident like this and do away with the awards,” Suge Knight insisted.

R&B singer Usher led the awards with five nominations, followed by Alicia Keys, who had four nominations.

Vibe magazine focuses on urban culture and entertainment. The awards are voted on by music journalists and “regional tastemakers.”