Busta Rhymes charged with assault

Rapper Busta Rhymes has been arrested and charged with assault in New York City, police said today.

Few details about the arrest and the alleged attack that prompted it were immediately available, although police officer Martin Speechley said they occurred about a week apart.

Representatives of the rapper, whose legal name is Trevor Smith, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Police have been wanting to interview Rhymes since the February shooting death of one of his bodyguards, Israel Ramirez.

Ramirez, 29, was killed outside a Brooklyn studio where Rhymes was recording a music video.

The rapper and another bodyguard were sued the following month by a fan who says the two men beat him after he asked for Rhymes' autograph.