Killer Mike released following arrest for alleged physical altercation at Grammys

Killer Mike has been released from police custody after being detained by police following his wins at the 2024 Grammy Awards on Sunday, and new details are emerging about why he was arrested.

The rapper, whose real name is Michael Render, was seen handcuffed and escorted by police in videos posted to social media after he won three Grammys during the pre-show ceremony. A representative from the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to EW that Killer Mike was arrested at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. and booked for "misdemeanor battery."

The police department posted on social media on Sunday night that a man, whom they later identified as Killer Mike, was arrested for an alleged "physical altercation" at the site of the awards show.

Police did not provide any additional details to EW about the alleged altercation or anyone else involved. Misdemeanor battery charges can come with a fine of up to $2,000 or six months in county jail, or both under California law.

News of an alleged altercation conflicts with what reporter Chris Gardner, who captured the footage of Killer Mike's detention, said he was told at the scene. "Just spoke to an official who tells me it’s a misdemeanor and has nothing to do with anything that happened today here inside the arena," Gardner posted on X (formerly Twitter). "It’s a big nothing," source says.

Representatives for the Grammys and Killer Mike did not respond to EW's multiple requests for comment.

Killer Mike, half of the rap group Run the Jewels, won all three categories he was nominated in on Sunday, including Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for the song "Scientists & Engineers," and Best Rap Album for Michael, all handed out during the Grammys pre-show award ceremony.

Police records show that he was arrested at  3:20 p.m. PT, booked at 7:30 p.m. PT, and released just over an hour later.

Multiple posts were shared on the Atlanta rapper's Instagram and X accounts, both during the window he was in police custody and after his release, all celebrating his wins with no mention of his arrest.

"DREAMS COME TRUE - IT’S A SWEEP!" a post at just after 6 p.m. PT read with a clip of one of Killer Mike's acceptance speeches.

"I did it for the city!" read a post from Monday at 5:22 a.m. PT with a link to a YouTube video for his song "Down by Law" featuring CeeLo Green.

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