Rapper Busta Rhymes Summoned for Cell Phone Violation

Rhymes, whose legal name is Trevor Smith, was cruising past the police station about 7 p.m. Thursday when police allegedly spotted him on the cell phone.

Trouble has found Busta Rhymes again. The rapper, who has had other run-ins with the law, was caught talking on his cell phone while driving past a Manhattan police station, police said Friday.

Rhymes, whose legal name is Trevor Smith, was cruising past the police station about 7 p.m. Thursday when police allegedly spotted him on the cell phone.

He was pulled over and issued a summons for the moving violation. His management office declined to comment Friday.

Last month, the best-selling rap star appeared in court on an assault charge for allegedly attacking a man who spit on his car in August. He is due back in court in that case on Dec. 11.

In another case involving the unsolved shooting death of his bodyguard Israel Ramirez in February, Rhymes has refused to be questioned by police as a potential witness. Police say Rhymes, 34, has made no effort to help identify the killer. The shooting occurred outside a music video taping in Brooklyn.

The rapper's most recent album was the "The Big Bang," released earlier this year, featuring the hit "Touch It." Rhymes has had a stream of hits throughout his career, which spans more than a decade, including "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Dangerous." He's also been in films, including 2000's "Shaft."

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