Rapper The Game Sued: Off-Duty Cop Claims Hoops Game Sucker Punch Caused Brain Damage

Rapper The Game allegedly punched a cop and is now being sued by the officer, who claims that the sucker punch thrown during a pickup basketball game was brutal enough to cause brain damage. But the 35-year-old hip-hop star claims that he threw the punch in self-defense.

A video obtained by the celebrity site TMZ that shows the punching incident, which took place during a “Pro-Am” basketball game March 29 at the Hollywood High School gym in Los Angeles, can be viewed above.

While there is no way to tell what went on before the punch was thrown, nothing appears out of the ordinary, and the off-duty police officer who became the victim of The Game’s punch claims that he did nothing to instigate the incident.

But according to reporting by TMZ, associates of The Game, whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor, say that the veteran rapper threw the punch in self-defense after the other player, Onyebuchi Awaji, threatened him with a gun.

According to the accounts, the action in the basketball game started getting rough, with Awaji throwing elbows at The Game — who apparently did not know that the opposing player was an off-duty cop at the time.

As the altercations between the two grew increasingly tense, The Game’s companions claim that Awaji threatened The Game, saying that if things between them got any worse, he would go to his gym bag and get “that thing.”

The hip hop star assumed that Awaji meant he was in possession of a gun, and he was threatening to use it. So, according to those accounts, The Game threw a punch in self-defense.

On the video, however, there appears to be no evidence of a serious altercation leading up to the surprise punch, and Awaji also claims that the blow was simply an unprovoked sucker punch that ended up causing him serious injury.

Taylor, aka The Game, has a history of allegedly violent incidents. It was only a year ago that he came under scrutiny in connection with a domestic violence allegation involving his now-former fianceé Tiffney Cambridge, who charged that the rapper broke her nose and eye socket during one frightening argument. Taylor denied the accusations.

Cambridge and Taylor were the stars and subjects of a reality show on the cable network VH1 entitled Marrying the Game, which ended up documenting the deterioration of their relationship — though earlier this year, the rapper publicly declared that he wants to resume their romance.

Reportedly, after punching the cop who has now sued, The Game fled the basketball gym to avoid the police.

[Image: Eva Rinaldi/Wikimedia Commons]