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Flavor Flav Arrested for Domestic Battery in Las Vegas Weeks Before Marking Year of Sobriety

William Drayton (Flavor Flav) booking photo
William Drayton (Flavor Flav) booking photo

Henderson Police Department

Flavor Flav was arrested earlier this month after a domestic violence dispute in Las Vegas.

On Oct. 5, the 62-year-old rapper, born William Drayton Jr., was arrested by the Henderson Police Department on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge regarding a dispute the night before, HPD confirms with PEOPLE.

The Public Enemy musician allegedly grabbed the woman, poked his finger in her nose and face, grabbed her and threw her to the ground. He also allegedly grabbed a phone out of her hand, according to the city attorney.

Billboard reported on Wednesday that the alleged victim was someone the rapper was dating and that they share a child. Their son split up the fight before his mother lunged at Drayton, per a police report obtained by the magazine. Officers also reported a cut on the woman's face.

William Drayton
William Drayton

Tommaso Boddi/Getty

"[He] did willfully and unlawfully use force or violence against [the person]," the statement read.

His attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld also provided a statement to PEOPLE about the incident, writing, "In alleged domestic violence cases, there are often two sides to the story, and we will explain our side in the courtroom and not in the media."

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The news of his arrest earlier this month comes as he shared a milestone in his sobriety journey.

"1 year up,,, lotz more to go,,, next year I pray my whole family will be walking the same path I am," he tweeted, along with a photo from a tracking app and a before and after photo of himself from a year ago and today.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.