Russell Crowe Avoids Charges in Azealia Banks Incident

The Los Angeles District Attorney has ruled in a controversial case involving Azealia Banks and Russell Crowe.

According to the D.A., the Oscar-winning actor will not be charged for forcibly removing the New York rapper from his hotel suite in October, as per TMZ.

Banks filed a police report following the event, claiming Crowe called her the n-word, choked her, and spit on her while kicking her out of the suite.

However, witnesses including RZA, who invited Banks to the party, say that Banks was the instigator and was only removed after picking up a glass and threatening to cut another woman with it.

The D.A. ruled that Crowe was “justified to prevent the imminent violence threatened by Banks” and that his spit was “incidental to preventing more serious threatened violence.”

Witnesses have said that Crowe’s spit did not land on Banks.

For her part, a tearful Azealia appeared on “Access Hollywood” in October to plead her case. “Every time something like this happens, I’m always being blamed for wanting this kind of attention,” she said. “Who the fuck wants to tell somebody they got spat on? That’s humiliating. I’m just really, really humiliated.”

UPDATE: A saddened Azealia took to Facebook to address the news. “Seriously heartbroken over this news of my case against Russell Crowe being thrown out,” she wrote. “I paid a lawyer to defend me who went ghost two weeks ago, and now a DA is saying that he was justified in spitting on me.”

But she remains optimistic. “One thing I won’t do is let this ruin any parts of me,” she added. “I’ve done enough crying in 2016, and 2017 won’t be the year I allow the media or anyone else to control my narrative.”

She finished by thanking her fans: “Thank you to everyone who showed support over this. I love you guys.”