After last year’s club incident, rapper Kevin Gates has been found guilty of battery for kicking a female fan in Florida. To learn more about the aftermath of the incident, fans have been Googling terms such as “Kevin Gates arrested,” “Kevin Gates kicks fan,” “Kevin Gates kicks girl,” and “Kevin Gates Polk County jail.” If you’ve been hoping to get the full details on the aftermath of Gates’ arrest, then look no further because we have everything you need to know right here!
The Kick
According to the TMZ video, the “Really Really” singer was performing a gig at Rumor’s Nightclub in the city of Lakeland, Florida in August 2015. While he was performing on stage, a female fan grabbed his shorts, and the “Time for That” singer kicked her in the chest with his right foot. The whole ordeal was caught on camera and has since gone viral.
The Aftermath
On Wednesday October 26, a ruling was finally made and Gates was found guilty of battery in Polk County, Florida for the incident.
Due to the rapper’s overreaction, the judge sentenced Gates to 180 days (six months) in Polk County jail, with credit for any time served, court costs and fines, WFLA reports. He was also convicted by a jury of six women, after just one day of testimony.
The female fan in question was identified as 18-year-old Miranda Dixon, who admitted to tugging on Gates’ shorts during his concert at Rumor’s Nightclub. During the trial she said, “I was trying to get his attention for my friend.”
Dixon’s mom, Kristy Irelan, spoke to news Channel 8 shortly after the incident. Irelan said her daughter, Dixon, admitted herself to the hospital and had to undergo a CT scan after she was kicked in the chest at the concert.
“She told me that she was excited to see him and next thing she knows she was kicked in the chest and she was passed out,” said Irelan to News Channel 8.
Also present at the concert was Dixon’s friend, Teremal Redding, who also testified at the trial saying she had asked Dixon to grab Gates to get him to notice her, “because he is a famous rapper.” She said that the entire front row was grabbing Gates to get his attention and that he kept performing after Dixon grabbed him the first time. But the second time Dixon grabbed him, he decided to get violent and kicked her with force, directly in the chest.
Gates’ defense attorney, Jose Baez cross-examined Redding about the extent of Dixon’s injuries, making it clear that Redding had stayed for the rest of the show, after her friend left the club following the incident.
In a previous hearing, Gates admitted to kicking a female fan during the show and tried to defend his actions by using Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, in an attempt to have the charges dropped.
“I kicked them, I wanted them off me,” Gates said during the previous hearing.
Joe Hailey, head of security at Rumor’s Nightclub, testified during the trial that Gates’ security team did not make any special demands for extra security or any barricade between the crowd and the stage at the concert. Hailey said there were roughly 20 security guards working that night and that there was enough room for Gates to move back on the stage if he didn’t want to be touched.
Overzealous fans at concerts is nothing new, but some singers handle it differently. Justin Bieber recently walked off the stage when his fans refused to stop talking over him and Beyoncé even hugs her fans in the front row! And when an excited fan threw a bra at Beyoncé on stage: she told her security not worry about it.
Sources:
https://goo.gl/5X9L4v
https://goo.gl/6JfgGE
https://goo.gl/KWSUPZ
