Akon News

More than anything this year, Akon should have learned to never fool around with a fan—neither of the mechanical nor human variety.

The hip-hop star has been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment, a misdemeanor and a violation, respectively, for hurling a teenage boy off the stage during a June concert in upstate New York, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported Thursday.

Arraignment has been scheduled for Monday.

As seen in the cell phone footage shot by an audience member and posted on the paper's Website, Akon seemingly encouraged the unidentified 15-year-old to come onstage and then, seconds later, hoisted him over his shoulders and threw him back into the crowd.

It was the boy's mother who contacted police two days after the June 3 show at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, requesting that they investigate.

Heather Idema, the woman who recorded the incident, told the Journal at the time that, from her vantage point, someone threw something at the stage, after which Akon implored the crowd, "point him out, point him out. Who is he?" The security guard who ushered the boy up to the stage may have thought that he was the offender.

"Bring him out to me," the Konvicted rapper told the guard. Then, after chucking the boy off the stage, Akon located him in the crowd and tried to reassure the audience, saying, "He's okay, he's all right."

"Given the information that we have reviewed to date, it does not appear to us that Akon was involved in any criminal conduct whatsoever," his attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said in a statement a few days later. "We are prepared to fully cooperate with any law enforcement agency that may be investigating this incident. We are confident that after a thorough investigation it will be apparent that no criminal prosecution of Akon is warranted."

While it's unclear whether the teen or his mother ever pressed charges, the young woman who the boy allegedly landed on told police that she ended up in the hospital thanks to Akon's stunt.

According to the Town of Fishkill police, Abby Rosa of Delaware County said that she suffered a headache and blurry vision and was later diagnosed with a concussion.

The Senegalese-American singer hasn't exactly been leading a charmed life on the road this year.

Verizon dropped Akon as a featured artist and pulled its sponsorship from Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape tour after a video of him engaging in a sexually explicit dance with a female concertgoer, who turned out to be underage, made the rounds online.

Last month, a free concert for students and faculty at Emory University in Atlanta was canceled after several crewmembers and his drummer were injured when part of the stage collapsed during setup.