Los Angeles prosecutors say they will not charge Russell Crowe with battery over a scuffle with rapper Azealia Banks in a Beverly Hills hotel room earlier this year.
A charge evaluation worksheet released on Wednesday by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office states Crowe struggled with Banks and threw her out of his hotel room in October after she picked up a glass and threatened people with it. They rejected filing a battery charge against the actor due to Banks’ actions and her lack of visible injuries.
Banks accused Crowe of grabbing her by the neck, calling her a racial slur and spitting on her during an October 15 gathering at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She acknowledged insulting Crowe before he kicked her out of the room at 3am, the worksheet states.
The filing states a prosecutor determined that a jury would likely “find the physical escort out of the room was justified to prevent the imminent violence threatened by Banks.”
The determination was made after authorities spoke to several witnesses who described Banks as either drunk or high on drugs, and acting aggressively before the confrontation.
An after-hours call to a London representative for Banks was not immediately returned.
