WELLINGTON, Fla. — Rapper Vanilla Ice was arrested Thursday night for domestic battery in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The 40-year-old singer, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, was booked and jailed after his wife Laura called police to report her husband was hitting and kicking her. She later told authorities that he had only pushed her, which he denied, according to the police report.
Deputies arrived at the musician’s home in Wellington around 7:15 p.m., where they soon located the rapper two blocks away on his motorcycle, the Palm Beach Post reported. He told officials that he had left to cool down.
The star’s wife said her husband became upset because she purchased a new bedroom set. He said the couple had been arguing since the previous day, the Post reported.
Vanilla Ice said his wife is bi-polar and takes medication, but she still has irrational and argumentative episodes. He said she threw a picture frame from a balcony to the ground, which shattered near him and the couple’s 8- and 10-year-old children.
Vanilla Ice is due in court on Friday, when a judge will determine if the arrest was justified.
It is not the first time the star has been in trouble. He was also booked on a domestic battery charge in 2004.
The singer became famous thanks to his 1990 song, “Ice Ice Baby,” which sold 15 million copies and became the first rap single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
