Cops: Rapper Lil Reese arrest tied to 2012 beating video - Chicago Tribune
Cops: Rapper Lil Reese arrest tied to 2012 beating video
April 29, 2013|By Geoff Ziezulewicz | Tribune reporter
Tavares Taylor
Tavares Taylor (Cook County sheriff's police)
South Side rapper Lil Reese's Sunday arrest on a felony warrant is tied to a 2012 videotaped incident in which he purportedly beat and stomped a woman in her Champaign home, police said Monday.
Video of the attack went viral late last year, with thousands of people voicing outrage on social media over Lil Reese's actions.
The rapper, whose real name is Tavares Taylor, 20, was arrested on the Champaign County warrant about 4 a.m. Sunday, when Chicago police found him sleeping in a car on the 4400 block of South Wells Street, according to Cook County court documents. The warrant charges him with felony trespass and mob action and misdemeanor battery.
The beating incident was reported to the Champaign Police Department on Oct. 25, "after a video of the incident was posted online and the suspect's identity was disclosed," police spokeswoman Rene Dunn.
Taylor appeared in Cook County Bond Court on Sunday. It was unclear as of noon Monday if or when he would be transferred to Champaign County.
The warrant paperwork states he is to be held in lieu of $100,000.
At 5:22 a.m. on Feb. 19, 2012, the 18-year-old woman returned to her apartment on the 2000 block of Moreland Boulevard after a night out with friends and found 20 to 25 people inside her residence, Dunn said in an email.
The woman suspected a family member had let the crowd inside, Dunn said.
Taylor was among those in the crowd and refused to leave when the woman asked, according to the victim's account, Dunn said.
The woman and Taylor got into an argument and Taylor "pushed the victim multiple times and slapped her," according to Dunn.
Taylor then threatened the woman and a fight ensued, Dunn said.
"The victim was battered multiple times by the suspect and an unidentified male and female," Dunn said. "The victim fell to the ground and the suspects continued to stomp and kick her while she was down."
The fight ended when a family member and friend intervened, Dunn said.
After police were called, Taylor and the other occupants fled the apartment, according to Dunn.
The victim also fled "to a safer location," Dunn said.
Champaign detectives continued following up on the case, and a warrant for Taylor's arrest was issued Thursday for criminal trespassing, according to Dunn.
Taylor has risen to prominence in recent years as part of Chicago's "drill" rap scene. He is part of local rapper Chief Keef's Glory Boyz Entertainment clique and has a deal with Def Jam Recordings, a label whose clients include Rihanna and Ludacris.
The video footage of Taylor beating a young woman sparked outrage when it went viral in October.
The grainy video taken with a camera phone reportedly showed Taylor attacking the unidentified woman. It was posted on various hip-hop websites and angered thousands on Twitter.
The video, which lasts a little more than a minute, shows a man entering a residence and arguing with a young woman. The two then get into a physical altercation.
Lil Reese acknowledged the video on his Twitter account at the time before suggesting the incident occurred "years ago."
Taylor bonded out of the Cook County jail this afternoon, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Sophia Ansari said. He was given a bond slip with his next court date in Champaign County upon leaving, she said.
Suspects can bond out of other county warrants in Cook County, according to Ansari.