“I’m just sorry about my actions,” said rapper Ja Rule after pleading guilty to assault in an altercation at a downtown nightclub in Toronto last year.
He received a $1,200 fine after facing a more serious charge of assault causing bodily harm, which could have resulted in jail time. “Hopefully this was a one-time outburst,” said the judge.
Jeffry Atkins, b.k.a. Ja Rule, said in a statement that he was provoked by a crowd that had formed near him at a nightclub, shouting “derogatory” comments about his public feud with rapper 50 Cent. As he was leaving, he punched someone standing nearby. The victim ended up with a black eye and some cuts to the eyelid.