The legendary rapper Kool G Rap is preparing to sue Finish Line after being accused by store employees of a crime he didn't commit, TMZ reports.
The rapper was accused of stealing a pair of LeBron 15s in May 2018. Employees of Finish Line at a Pennsylvania mall called the police after a black man reportedly came into the store, asked to try on the LeBrons and then placed his shoes in the LeBron box, walking out with a fresh pair of kicks.
According to a summary of facts from Kool G's legal team, employee Esteban Smith tried to track down the thief. He believed he saw the man, described as a black man in his 40s, and followed him to his car. Smith took down the car's information and gave it to police, who linked it to Kool G.
The rapper was told to report to court in June 2018 to face charges of misdemeanor theft. He faced up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
However, as HotNewHipHop reports, Kool's legal team countered Finish Line's claims by asking to see security footage. According to the legend's lawyers, it then came out "the officer … failed to obtain an affidavit from the employee who allegedly followed the defendant out of the store to determine how he concluded or selected KGR as the defendant. Notably, Esteban Smith was not the employee who interacted directly with the person who committed the theft."
Not only did Smith not see the man who stole the shoes, but it turned out he was following the wrong 40ish-year-old black man. Police didn't catch his error because they reportedly never looked at the store's security tapes. Once those were reviewed, it became clear Kool hadn't entered Finish Line all day.
The case was dropped. The shoes, which were worth $185, were not recovered. Kool and his lawyers have promised a massive suit against Finish Line.
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