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The Indiana Daily Student

arts

Lil Wayne guards ‘fake’ the law, receive charges

Two members of rapper Lil Wayne’s security detail were arrested early Wednesday for impersonating police officers.

Ronald Harrod, 43, and Larry Richardson, 23, both of Indianapolis, were arrested about 1:40 a.m. near Jake’s Nightclub after an officer saw the men blocking traffic at Eighth Street and College Avenue, Bloomington Police Sgt. Jeff Canada said.

About a half an hour before, a different officer saw a black Crown Victoria with red and blue dashboard lights and a police siren clear the intersection at the 45/46 Bypass and College Avenue.

Two tour buses followed the car. After the buses went through the intersection, the officer saw a Dodge Intrepid, which also had blue and red lights on, following the buses.

The officer asked dispatch if there was supposed to be a police escort, and they said there wasn’t. Officers determined the cars blocking traffic at Eighth Street and College Avenue were the same cars seen earlier.

Lil Wayne was in town for a concert Tuesday. Two of his tour buses were taking the rapper from Assembly Hall to Jake’s for an organized after-party.

Officers talked to Richardson, who was driving the Crown Victoria. He was wearing a police-style uniform with sergeant stripes and a sewn-on officer badge. He also had a side arm, and in his car were a dashboard computer, handcuffs and a police interceptor.

Officers asked him for ID, and he admitted he wasn’t a police officer. But, he said, he worked for a security company and had credentials to conduct an escort.

Harrod was driving the Intrepid. He was wearing a police-style shirt and jacket and had a gun belt with a handgun and handcuffs.

Harrod told police he worked for the security company and thought he could drive with his lights on. Police discovered his license was suspended.

Police contacted members of the prosecutor’s office and determined preliminary charges of impersonating a public servant. Harrod was arrested for driving on a suspended license.

The security guards weren’t part of concert security, IU Police Department Chief Keith Cash said.

The concert was staffed by IUPD officers and ESG Security, which is approved by IU. Neither Cash nor Canada knew which company they worked for or who hired them.

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