By Courtney Dentch
DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was charged Friday with having a billy club and crack cocaine in his car after he allegedly tried to blow through a gate at an airport parking lot last Thursday by telling the guard he was a federal agent working on a case, according to a criminal complaint from Brown's office.
Simmons and a friend, Jackie Hudgins, also allegedly tried to pull a man out of his car by saying they were FBI agents, the DA said.
“According to the charges, the defendants crashed through a parking lot gate after one of the defendants falsely stated to the attendant that he was a federal agent,” Brown said in a statement. “A billy club and rocks of crack cocaine were found inside their vehicle. The charges involve alarming and potentially dangerous conduct that resulted in damage to property and a threat to public safety.”
Simmons was charged with weapons possession, drug possession, criminal mischief, menacing, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and other offenses, Brown said. Simmons faces up to seven years in prison if convicted, the DA said.
The two were arraigned Friday night. Simmons pleaded not guilty and was given $15,000 bail and an order of protection to stay away from the victims, a spokeswoman for Brown said.
Simmons, 33, and Hudgins, 41, were supposed to fly out of Kennedy Airport last Thursday to Switzerland for the rapper's European tour. DMX, driving a black 1998 Ford Expedition, tried to breeze past the parking attendant about 7:20 p.m., allegedly saying he was an FBI agent working on a case and turning on a flashing emergency light on his truck, according to the criminal complaint.
Simmons allegedly crashed through the arm of the gate when the attendant would not raise the arm, the complaint said.
Once inside the garage, Simmons used the lights and a siren to reportedly intimidate another driver, Brown said. When the car stopped, Simmons told the driver he was an FBI agent and ordered him out of the car, according to the criminal complaint. The driver refused and Simmons opened the door and tried to unbuckle the man's seat belt.
Simmons stopped when a private security guard approached. Simmons told him he was a federal agent and drove off, according to the criminal complaint.
The Expedition was stopped in the parking lot by Port Authority police and Simmons and Hudgins were arrested. Officers reported that Simmons seemed to be high on drugs, slurring his speech and displaying unstable behavior, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers found a billy club, loose rocks of crack cocaine, oxycodone pills and diazepam pills inside the sports utility vehicle, the complaint said.
Simmons' lawyer, Murray Richman, could not be reached for comment.
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
