Nardo Wick‘s affiliates have surrendered to police in the wake of an alleged brutal beatdown of a fan that was caught on videotape and subsequently went viral.
TMZ has revealed that the two suspects have turned themselves in to authorities in Tampa, FL, as of Saturday (December 2). Zachary Benton and a 15-year-old — whose name has not been released to the public due to him being a minor — have been charged with felony battery, and the 15-year-old has also been charged with possession of a firearm while wearing a mask.
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A source close to the “Who Want Smoke?” rapper said that the two suspects were “not close” to the star, but were instead “friends of friends.”
Nardo Wick was leaving Club Skye in Tampa, Florida at around 1:15 a.m. ET early Monday (November 27) after performing. Video footage of the incident shows a man rocking a “Free Tory” shirt making his way to a sprinter with his phone in hand.
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As he walks over to a group appearing to consist of Nardo and his team, the fan is hit on the side of his head by a member of the crew. The video shows a second punch from a separate individual that causes the man to fall and hit his head on the ground.
A Tampa police news release about the incident does not mention Nardo, saying only that “On Monday, November 27, 2023, at approximately 1:17 a.m., following a concert at Club Skye…, an adult male victim, attempted to approach the performer for a photo, when individuals who appear to be affiliated with the performer punched the victim.”
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Nardo was the only performer listed on Club Skye’s website for Sunday, November 26 into the morning of November 27.
According to TMZ, the victim, George Obregon Jr., was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for a severe concussion and brain hemorrhage. An update on Tuesday morning (November 28) revealed he was in critical but stable condition.
Nardo Wick took to social media to address the incident, stating he “tried to stop it” and “doesn’t condone what happened.”
“I don’t condone what happened to my fan George after my show in any type of way,” he wrote. “I expressed to him and his mama how sorry and concerned I was that it happened to him, multiple times before anything was posted on the internet.
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“I sent his mama my number instantly the night it happened. I was even going to make a post to try to find out who he was before his mama text me. I can’t control another grown man actions, I ain’t know that was gone happen, and I was mad when it happened.”
He added: “I tried to stop it as u can see in the video, and if somebody got the longer video you can see how mad I was, I love and appreciate all my fans and don’t condone in what happened at all dat shit ain’t gangsta or cool in no type of way.”
