New sex assault claims leveled at T.I. and Tiny, part of wider allegations they deny
Los Angeles police detectives are investigating a sexual assault report in which a woman accused rapper Clifford “T.I.†Harris and his wife, singer Tameka “Tiny†Harris, of sexual assault in 2005, according to law enforcement sources.
LAPD officials confirmed that the department received a report last month and initiated an investigation.
It is one of at least two police reports made in recent months that allege the couple sexually assaulted women after they were drugged. In March, attorney Tyrone A. Blackburn said he had been contacted by more than 30 “women, survivors and witnesses†who accused the couple of “forced drugging, kidnapping, rape and intimidation.â€
The woman spoke to an LAPD detective on April 8 and alleged she had received a drink at a bar from Tiny and later was sexually assaulted by T.I. before vomiting and blacking out.
Steve Sadow, the attorney for the couple, said the Harrises have not been questioned or contacted by any law enforcement agency. Sadow said that because the woman making the accusations has not been identified, it is “preventing us from being in a position to disprove or refute her allegations — or even examine them.â€
Rapper T.I. and wife Tiny continue to deny abuse allegations that began on social media. On Monday, a defamation case was filed against the couple and a friend.
Earlier this month, a woman also filed a report with the Las Vegas Metro Police alleging she had her drink spiked before engaging in nonconsensual sex with the couple in August 2010.
Public allegations against the couple first appeared in January, leading to the suspension of filming of T.I. and Tiny’s VH1 reality show, “The Family Hustle.â€
In March, Sabrina Peterson filed a defamation lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court against Tiny, T.I. and hairstylist Shekinah Anderson, one of Tiny’s best friends. Peterson alleged the rapper pointed a gun at her head when she got into an altercation with his assistant. She sued after the Harrises responded with an extensive denial.
Peterson’s accusations against T.I., which were posted on Instagram in January, spurred additional allegations against the couple on social media.
In February, Blackburn sent letters to police agencies in California and Georgia calling for an investigation into the couple, describing their allegations as an “eerily†similar pattern of “events of sexual abuse, forced ingestion of illegal narcotics, kidnapping, terroristic threats and false imprisonment.â€
The Harrises have vehemently denied any wrongdoing since the accusations first surfaced.
The allegations escalated when the New York Times published an article that included further details of accusations against the couple.
Sadow told the Los Angeles Times in March, “We are confident that if these claims are thoroughly and fairly investigated, no charges will be forthcoming. These allegations are nothing more than the continuation of a sordid shakedown campaign that began on social media. The Harrises implore everyone not to be taken in by these obvious attempts to manipulate the press and misuse the justice system.â€
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