Rapper files $10 million claim after video shows LA County deputy threatening to shoot him

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Lawyers for a Los Angeles-based rapper filed a $10 million claim against Los Angeles County Wednesday, alleging sheriff's deputies threatened to shoot and kill him as he sat alone in his car on New Year's Eve.

Feezy Lebron and his attorneys held a news conference in Pasadena Wednesday arguing that the entertainer posed no threat to law enforcement, yet they still threatened him.

The rapper's claim, a possible forerunner to a lawsuit, states that at about 6 p.m. on Dec. 31, he was in his car in a Gardena parking lot waiting to meet a friend, listening to music and live streaming to his fans on Instagram when deputies drove up and shined a flashlight at his car.

Body camera footage captured the encounter.

One deputy opened the driver's side door, grabbed Lebron by the arm and tried to pull him out, the claim states. Moments later, a second deputy walked up, pulled out a canister of pepper spray and said he was going to spray the rapper, the claim states.

The same deputy took out his gun, pointed it at Lebron's chest and repeatedly threatened to shoot him as the rapper sat with his hands raised, according to the claim.

The deputy allegedly told Lebron, "Move your hands from right there and you're done," the claim states.

The deputy also said in the bodycam footage, "You take off in this car, I'm gonna shoot you" and "You put this car in drive, you're getting one right to the chest."

When Lebron asked the deputy if he was going to shoot him, the deputy allegedly said, "Absolutely," according to the claim.

Lebron was later taken out of his car, handcuffed and detained him for about 30 minutes while deputies searched the vehicle, then subsequently released him with a citation for a missing front license plate, the claim states.

The sheriff's department says deputies initially approached Lebron in the 14900 block of Crenshaw Boulevard when they noticed he had a missing license plate on his vehicle.

Freezy Lebron, whose real name is Darral Scott, argues he was just sitting in his car waiting for a friend when he suddenly had to face a law enforcement officer pointing a gun at him.

"I was scared to death," Lebron said at the press conference. "I didn't think I was going to make it home to see my kids."

Lebron claims his civil rights were violated. His attorneys are confident they have a strong case.

"This was absolutely discriminatory and racist," Lebron's attorney Morgan Ricketts said.

The Sheriff's Department says there's an investigation into the deputy's actions and language.

Attorneys for Lebron say the Sheriff's Department has to be held accountable.

"When you got a gun pointed in your face and someone is threatening you, that's criminal," Ricketts said. "That's gangster behavior. It's thuggery."

City News Service contributed to this report.