Emcee Claims Rapper|Punched Him Out

WASHINGTON (CN) - A Maryland man claims in court that the rapper Wale punched him in the face at a Washington club after the two got in an argument over Twitter.

In a complaint filed Monday in the Washington D.C. Superior Court, Jared Smith says he was hired by the Shadow Room, a club in northwest Washington, to act as emcee for a Hip Hop party to be held on May 14.

Wale, whose given name is Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, was scheduled to make an appearance at the event, before embarking on a nationwide tour with The Roots. As the organizers and promoters expected, Smith says, Wale's participation drew a large crowd.

But according to the emcee, "Wale ... consumed a large amount of alcohol and grew increasingly disorderly as the night progressed."

"He reportedly complained that the deejay was not playing enough of his music, ranted about his own self-importance, and angrily left the event before it ended," the complaint says "After leaving Shadow Room, wale exchanged hostile messages with the deejay and with Mr. Smith n Twitter, a social media platform."

Smith says after the event ended and patrons had cleared out, Wale and a bodyguard named Big E. returned to the Shadow Room.

Then, "[w]ithout cause or justification, Wale approached and began arguing with Mr. Smith and then punched Mr. Smith in the face," the complaint says.

Big E then allegedly pulled a gun "in a threatening manner" from his waistband as Wale looked on, according to the complaint.

There is no record of a criminal charge against Wale in Washington courts and Smith does not say whether he pursued such charges against the rapper in the civil complaint.

Wale made news in April 2014 when TMZ reported he allegedly fought with a heckler at WWE Raw after the heckler harassed him on Twitter.

Smith seeks unspecified damages for assault and battery to be determined at trial.

Smith's attorney, Washington-based Patrice Sulton, declined to comment on the case and a representative for Wale did not respond to requests for comment.

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