Prosecutors are looking to use Azealia Banks' troublesome history against her the next time she appears in court. Last week, she missed a scheduled court hearing, where she was set to face charges of misdemeanor assault, attempted assault, and disorderly conduct -- all stemming from an incident in late 2015, when she allegedly attacked a security guard and bit her in the breast.
In preparing for Banks' next appearance, the prosecutors want to strengthen the case against her by bringing up a prior arrest. In 2009, Banks "slashed her sister in the neck, the arm and the hand with a box cutter," according to Assistant DA Shea Donato.
The Harlem-raised rapper was apparently arrested for the attack against her sister, and she reportedly plead guilty to attempted assault, though due to her age -- 17 at the time, she was given "special treatment," reports the New York Daily News.
Banks' attorney said his client missed the hearing because she got the wrong date, and he promised that Banks would apologize the next time she is in court. According to the Daily News, jury selection for the trial begins on Wednesday.
In addition to the 2009 box cutter attack, Donato also wants to tell the jury about Banks' more recent altercations, including the scuffle she got into with an L.A. bouncer in Oct. 2015, two months before the boob-biting incident in NYC. The assault charges were dismissed in L.A. due to lack of evidence.
Donato also spoke about bringing up the fight involving Banks and Russell Crowe. In Oct. 2016, Banks filed a battery report against Crowe, stating that the actor had choked and spit on her in addition to calling her racial slurs. The L.A. DA eventually dismissed the charges against Crowe, deciding that his actions had been warranted considering Banks' threats of violence against him and other guests at his hotel party.
Judge Ann Scherzer will soon decide whether or not Donato can use Banks' disorderly history as part of her prosecution efforts. According to her attorney, Banks will testify in her own defense.
