HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Travis McCoy, lead singer for the Gym Class Heroes, was arrested on assault charges Tuesday night as the band performed in St. Louis.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, the New York-based group had just wrapped the first song of their Warped Tour set, "Peace Sign," when a black fan seated towards the front row called the 26-year-old singer a "f---ing ignorant nigger."
McCoy responded by asking, "What did you just call me?" Then, as security was escorting the fan away, McCoy broke his microphone over the man's head. He apologized immediately thereafter.
"I'm sorry. But when someone calls you something that ignorant and that offensive, you have to bash their head in with a microphone," he told the crowd.
McCoy was placed under arrest at the end of his set. He was later released on a $500 bond.
The band's manager, Bob McLynn, issued a statement this afternoon, saying, "Somebody in the crowd was taunting Travis with racial slurs. Travis invited him onstage with the intent of calling him out in front of the crowd, with absolutely no intention of a physical altercation. When he tried to help him onstage, the guy hit Travis in the knee area (which has been in a brace because of a recent sprain), forcing Travis to defend himself. "
"This whole incident is unfortunate," he continued. "Travis McCoy and Gym Class Heroes are anything but violent. Their message is about racial unity and having a good time."
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