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Rapper T.I. calls Amsterdam biking arrest a miscommunication; Surprised by Dutch cops' calm reaction
Rapper T.I. was arrested in Amsterdam on Tuesday evening after a run-in with the Dutch police on his bicycle.
T.I. whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. was in Amsterdam this week to celebrate his eleventh anniversary with his wife Tiny. In a video posted live to Instagram he spoke of an encounter he had with the Dutch police while biking.
”So I'm locked up now. I'm obviously not supposed to have my phone as I'm biking,” he said in the video.
“Apparently, I’m not allowed to have my phone in my hand while biking”, Harris said. Police officers saw the rapper using his phone while biking and asked him to stop. Harris said he did not recognize the man as a police officer due to the language barrier.
“It was a white van. It didn’t look like it was the police. Could have been a furniture or delivery van”, Harris stated.
When Harris did not stop when asked to by the authorities, the police cut him off with their van. While attempting to stop the rapper, the handlebar from T.I.’s bike broke off the side-view mirror of the police vehicle. Given that Harris did not have his passport with him, he was taken to the police station.
“He was extremely upset,” he said of one officer. “I was having a great time. Still, I'm having a phenomenal time. I ain't got no handcuffs put on me yet. I like it.”
The rapper and music producer said he was surprised that he was not handcuffed when put in the backseat of the cop car. “I’m still not upset. They arrested me and didn’t even put me in handcuffs. They opened the door and invited me to the backseat and I obliged.”
Harris said the whole event was a somewhat exaggerated. “As I said earlier, I was surprised at the relaxed attitude of the Amsterdam cops who did not once try and reach for their weapon. That wouldn’t be necessary for such a minor incident but here in America, you have to fear for your life. That was an eye-opener”, Harris concluded about his encounter with the Dutch police.”
He and his wife have since returned to Los Angeles.