DaBaby
(Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
The victim Tyronesha Laws alleges she wasn't the fan that shined the phone flashlight, yet was still aggressively slapped by the rapper.
Over the weekend DaBaby caught fire for a video that surfaced online of him aggressively slapping a fan at an event in Tampa. Now, the alleged assault victim Tyronesha Laws is speaking out about her experience with the rising rapper.
Prior to Laws sharing a video with TMZ sharing her perspective, DaBaby shared an apology via social media. “I’m very sorry that there was a female on the other end of that flashlight on that phone,” he said. “But you know, keep in mind I couldn’t see you because you had that flashlight on that phone.”
He went on to share:
“Male or female I would’ve responded the same exact way. Of course, I had security with me, the club they had their own security. I make security treat true fans with respect [because] people paid to be there… I would love to apologize to you in person... I would love to make the situation better anyway that I can.”
But after being manhandled by the rapper Laws isn’t buying his apology. In fact, days after the assault, she’s been in touch with a lawyer. In a short clip sent directly to TMZ opened up about how she’s been feeling after the incident. “I woke up and my head was hurting really, really bad and the top of my right cheekbone it was hurt and it was tender,” she said. “I did go to the hospital and I was diagnosed with a contusion.”
She also expressed:
“I was embarrassed. I got people calling me, writing [to] me on Instagram through fakes pages. People seeing me at my job saying ‘oh you’re the girl that got slapped.’ It’s embarrassing.”
Later in her clip, she shared that she wasn’t the woman who put the flash in DaBaby’s face. Instead, she says that it was someone that was standing near her and her boyfriend. She also said she remembers the rapper smacking her hard and then falling onto the woman who she believes had the flashlight on her phone.
Laws then expressed that she wasn’t offered medical service at the event. An additional shocking detail she shares is that she had a difficult time filing a police report following the incident, but she claims she wouldn’t leave the venue until she was given one.
She also alleges that the rapper’s apology wasn’t sincere because he released a video joking with Michael Blackson poking fun at the violent incident. Her attorney, Matt Morgan has reportedly spoken with DaBaby’s legal team and “looks forward to continuing their discussions.”
Now, DaBaby has been hit with a lawsuit by Tyronesha Laws. According to paperwork obtained by TMZ she alleges she was minding her business when the rapper "suddenly and without any warning" violently hit her in the face. A statement sent directly from the Florida-based law firm Morgan & Morgan attributed to lawyers Matt Morgan and Chelsea Cromer reads:
“Morgan & Morgan has filed a formal lawsuit against DaBaby relating to the incident in Tampa. The incident was outrageous and shocking. We have requested a jury trial and look forward to presenting all of the surrounding circumstances to a jury of our client’s peers. Our goal is to deter similar conduct in the future and send a message that this type of behavior is not tolerated in America.”
Before the statement was released, DaBaby's lawyer Drew Findling publicly stated that Law was not the alleged victim. Law is suing for "battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and other damages," according to TMZ.
Take a look at Law's video below where she spoke out about the incident.
This story was originally published on March 11, 2019, it was updated on March 13.
