It’s not easy being Keef.
Chicago’s embattled Chief MC had a pretty terrible day on Monday, June 17. Keith Cozart, 17, was outside of a Skokie, Illinois courthouse when he was served with his second paternity suit in less then a year. Then he went inside where a judge berated him and dolled out punishment for a May incident in which he was pulled over and cuffed after doing 110 m.p.h. in a 55 zone. Lastly, on his way out, he was picked up by police on a month-old trespassing complaint.
So, a recap of the news Cozart received yesterday: (1) It’s a girl! (2) he owes the court $531, 18 months probation, 60 hours of community service, eight hours of traffic school, and his urine in a cup whenever they ask for it; and (3) a security guard from the Parkway Gardens housing complex is not stoked that he’s been (allegedly) hanging around the vicinity. Regarding the latter issue, he was processed and released without being charged bail.
Cozart’s new lawyer, Leah Starkman, intimated to the Chicago Tribune that she wasn’t yet intimately familiar with her client’s troubled past. “His management believes he’s being harassed by the police,” she said. The officers who arrested Keef yesterday in Skokie drove upwards of 20 miles from Chicago’s South Side and were reported to be toting assault rifles. “I know that he’s on the police radar, but I don’t know if it’s harassment.”
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Cook County Circuit Court Judge Earl Hoffenberg had stern words for the Finally Rich rapper: “You think you’re invincible, and you’re certainly not. Violate [the conditions of this plea agreement] and you’ll find out you’re not. I sure hope I don’t see you again, because if I do, you better be ready to go to jail … If I were you, I wouldn’t take this deal if you can’t follow these conditions. I’m really not sympathetic to people who don’t listen to me.”
In a typo-riddled statement sent to FakeShoreDrive, Cozart’s camp communicated that they felt he’d been singled out:
CHICAGO POLICE USE EXCESSIVE FORCE ARRESTING CHIEF KEEF
Keith Cozart was arrested this afternoon around 12:30 P.M. after leaving traffic court. The 17 year old rap phenom, Chief Keef, road about 4 blocks from the Skokie Courthouse when his vehicle was pulled over. His manager Rovaun “Dro” Manuel was driving when two unmarked cars cut the vehicle off. Present were Chief Keef, Dro, Mike Starkman, and Ballout. Mike Starkman says six officers armed with AK47’s hopped out of the cars to extract a compliant Cozart. Keith Cozart was arrested on charges of misdemeanor trespassing and taken from Skokie back to the south side to be processed. It is not normal practice for police to come from the south side armed with AK47’s to arrest a person on misdemeanor trespassing charges, but clearly Chief Keef is a special young man that garners special treatment from the Chicago Police Department. Hours later, amidst jovial officers with no sense of urgency, Chief Keef is still being held waiting to be processed. So special they just wanted to keep him around for a little while longer.
