Rapper Pleads No Contest in Assault Case

The rapper accused of stabbing a man at the 2004 Vibe Awards pleaded no contest to an assault charge in a plea deal made public Monday.

David Darnell Brown, 24, who records under the name Young Buck, had faced assault and attempted murder charges in connection with the Nov. 15, 2004, stabbing of 26-year-old Jimmy James Johnson.

Under the agreement between prosecutors and Brown’s attorney, the rapper receives a sentence of three years’ probation and must serve 80 hours of community service.

Brown was accused of stabbing Johnson, a parolee from Los Angeles, during a confrontation just before rap star and record producer Dr. Dre was to receive a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony honoring hip-hop music.

According to police, Johnson made his way to the front-row table of Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, and punched him in the face after requesting an autograph.

That attack set off a chair-throwing brawl that spread through the crowd. Brown allegedly stabbed Johnson during the melee and fled from the Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport, where the ceremony was being held.