Fight breaks out during taping of Vibe awards; one person stabbed

Tuesday, November 16th 2004, 9:45 am

By: News On 6

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) _ A fight broke out near the stage at the Vibe awards ceremony as rapper Snoop Dogg and producer Quincy Jones were preparing to honor Dr. Dre., and one person was stabbed, authorities and witnesses said.

Dozens of people sitting near the stage Monday inside a hangar at the Santa Monica airport began shoving each other as the show wound down about 7:30 p.m. News video showed chairs being thrown, punches flying, people chasing one another and some being restrained.

It was unclear if the stabbing preceded or followed the fight. The victim, a 26-year-old man, was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition.

No arrests were made.

Witness Frank Williams said Dr. Dre was involved in the brawl.

``I saw Dr. Dre fighting somebody,'' Williams told KCAL-TV. ``I don't know if he was fighting back. But there was a guy taken out basically bloodied.''

The Los Angeles Times, citing an unnamed associate of Dr. Dre, said the melee broke out as the acclaimed hip-hop producer was sitting at a front-row table waiting to receive the Vibe Legend Award. A man walked up to Dr. Dre's table and punched him, and Dr. Dre's bodyguards went after the man, the associate said.

Dr. Dre was about to join Jones and Snoop Dogg on stage to receive the award for his lifetime contributions to hip-hop. ``Come on, your messing up my rap, man,'' Jones said.

Andrea Ferguson, employed by a public relations firm that worked with Vibe for the second annual awards ceremony, called the incident a ``disruption'' but declined to provide details. She added the show was allowed to continue but it was halted for about five minutes.

``My understanding is that it was somewhat chaotic in there,'' police Lt. Frank Fabrega said in a press conference following the fight.

About 1,000 people attended the event; some scurried for the exits when the melee began. The show was taped Monday and was expected to be broadcast on the UPN network Tuesday.

``It's really important that we don't take a negative incident like this and do away with the awards,'' Suge Knight told reporters.

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur were among the artists signed to Knight's Death Row Records during its height in the early 1990s. After leaving the label, Dr. Dre started the highly successful Aftermath Records, which has signed stars including Eminem.

When Knight was released in 2001 from a five-year prison term for assault and weapons violations, Dr. Dre obtained a court order to keep Knight away from him, The Times said. It was unclear whether the order remained in effect Monday.

Vibe magazine focuses on urban culture and entertainment. The awards are voted on by music journalists and ``regional tastemakers.'' R&B singer Usher led the awards with five nominations, followed by Alicia Keys, who has four nominations.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) _ A fight broke out near the stage at the Vibe awards ceremony as rapper Snoop Dogg and producer Quincy Jones were preparing to honor Dr. Dre., and one person was stabbed, authorities and witnesses said.

Dozens of people sitting near the stage Monday inside a hangar at the Santa Monica airport began shoving each other as the show wound down about 7:30 p.m. News video showed chairs being thrown, punches flying, people chasing one another and some being restrained.

It was unclear if the stabbing preceded or followed the fight. The victim, a 26-year-old man, was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition.

No arrests were made.

Witness Frank Williams said Dr. Dre was involved in the brawl.

``I saw Dr. Dre fighting somebody,'' Williams told KCAL-TV. ``I don't know if he was fighting back. But there was a guy taken out basically bloodied.''

The Los Angeles Times, citing an unnamed associate of Dr. Dre, said the melee broke out as the acclaimed hip-hop producer was sitting at a front-row table waiting to receive the Vibe Legend Award. A man walked up to Dr. Dre's table and punched him, and Dr. Dre's bodyguards went after the man, the associate said.

Dr. Dre was about to join Jones and Snoop Dogg on stage to receive the award for his lifetime contributions to hip-hop. ``Come on, your messing up my rap, man,'' Jones said.

Andrea Ferguson, employed by a public relations firm that worked with Vibe for the second annual awards ceremony, called the incident a ``disruption'' but declined to provide details. She added the show was allowed to continue but it was halted for about five minutes.

``My understanding is that it was somewhat chaotic in there,'' police Lt. Frank Fabrega said in a press conference following the fight.

About 1,000 people attended the event; some scurried for the exits when the melee began. The show was taped Monday and was expected to be broadcast on the UPN network Tuesday.

``It's really important that we don't take a negative incident like this and do away with the awards,'' Suge Knight told reporters.

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur were among the artists signed to Knight's Death Row Records during its height in the early 1990s. After leaving the label, Dr. Dre started the highly successful Aftermath Records, which has signed stars including Eminem.

When Knight was released in 2001 from a five-year prison term for assault and weapons violations, Dr. Dre obtained a court order to keep Knight away from him, The Times said. It was unclear whether the order remained in effect Monday.

Vibe magazine focuses on urban culture and entertainment. The awards are voted on by music journalists and ``regional tastemakers.'' R&B singer Usher led the awards with five nominations, followed by Alicia Keys, who has four nominations.