Rapper The Game Pleads No Contest to Punching Off-Duty Cop

The rapper was sentenced to 3 years probation, 120 hours of community service and anger management counseling for the 2015 incident

The Game
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Rapper The Game pleaded no contest on Monday to punching an off-duty police officer during basketball game held at a high school in Hollywood, Calif.

Jayceon Terrell Taylor, 37, a.k.a. “The Game,” entered his plea to one misdemeanor count each of criminal threats and battery. Taylor also pleaded no contest to one felony count of grand theft following an incident where he threatened a man filming him outside of his home and took his camera.

The rapper was sentenced to three years of formal probation, 120 hours of community service and 26 anger management counseling sessions, according to Deputy District Attorney Deann Rivard.

On March 29, 2015, Taylor and an off-duty Los Angeles police officer were on opposing teams playing a basketball game when Taylor intentionally fouled, then sucker-punched the cop — who had just stolen the ball from him and scored a basket, the prosecutor said (via an LAPD statement). Taylor threatened to kill the off-duty officer once he was ejected from the game as a result of the punch, added the prosecutor.

Weeks later on April 11, 2015, Taylor took hold of and threatened a man filming him being served with legal papers outside of his house and kept the victim’s camera, the prosecutor said.

The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, Hollywood Division.

Best known for the 2005 tracks “Hate it or Love it” and “How We Do,” The Game comes from the West Coast hip hop scene, signing with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records in 2003.

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