apper Busta Rhymes was arrested and charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon on Saturday after his show at the AmsterJam Festival in New York which also featured LL Cool J, the Food Fighters, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and others.

Rhymes, whose legal name is Trevor Smith, was eventually arraigned on Sunday on the assault charge after he was reportedly accused of attacking a man for spitting on his car.

His arrest was in connection with an incident that occurred at 4 a.m. on August 12 in the Chelsea district of New York. Investigators said the fight happened around 4 a.m. on 19th street near 6th Avenue, wherein Rhymes allegedly left the man with abrasions, a split lip and a concussion. The New York Post reported that police had found a machete in the rapper's vehicle.

Police used the opportunity to question the rapper about the February 5 slaying of his bodyguard, Israel Ramirez, outside the set of the rapper's "Touch It" video, citing an unidentified source. No arrests have been made so far in that case.

Rhymes has come under intense criticism for refusing to cooperate with police into the murder. The incident was the most recent in what has been a troubled year for Rhymes, who was previously noted for his ability to avoid violence.

This latest event is amid the controversy over the February shooting death of one of his bodyguards, Israel Ramirez. Then, Rhymes and another bodyguard were sued the following month by a fan who says the two men beat him after he asked for the Rhymes’ autograph.

Busta Rhymes was released on his own recognizance Sunday afternoon. - A.J.