05-19-2006, 02:01 PM
Police arrest DJ Star after radio rants
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DJ Envy (above), his wife, Gia Casey, and their 4-year-old daughter were target of racist and violent on-air remarks by Troi Torain of Power 105.1. Yesterday, Gia Casey rallied for Torain's arrest.
Earlier story: I was just kiddin', sez DJ
A syndicated hip-hop disc jockey was arrested Friday on charges of harassment and endangering the welfare of a child amid an uproar over his on-air racial and sexual rants about a radio rival's wife and 4-year-old daughter.
Police officials had launched a hate crime investigation of DJ Star on Thursday after reviewing a transcript of his recent remarks about DJ Envy and his family.
DJ Star, whose real name is Troi Torain, was contacted by police on Friday and ordered to surrender a 9mm handgun and target practice permit at Police Headquarters. When he arrived, he was arrested and taken to the 1st Precinct stationhouse in lower Manhattan, said police spokesman Paul Browne.
The arrest capped a bad week for Torain.
After city Councilman John C. Liu and other outraged elected officials called a press conference to publicly scold Torain, he was fired on Wednesday from his job at Clear Channel Radio's Power 105.1 FM. Clear Channel, a unit of Clear Channel Communications Inc., said it found his statements "wholly unacceptable."
Not satisfied, the politicians demanded a criminal investigation - and immediately got one.
"This is a real consequence for Torain and sends a real message to other would-be racist pedophile radio stooges that they are not immune from the law," Liu said in a statement.
A call to Torain's attorney, Benjamin Brafman, was not immediately returned. The lawyer had apologized on behalf of his client on Thursday, calling the remarks "unsuitable and inappropriate."
In the comments, made between May 3 and Monday, Torain - co-host of the "Star & Buc Wild Morning Show" - offered $500 to any listener who could provide information about the rival DJ's daughter's school and used racial slurs when talking about his wife, who is part Asian.
"I will come for your kids," Torain said, according to transcribed excerpts provided by Liu's office. "I finally got the information on his slant-eyed, whore wife."
Torain also called the couple's child a "little half a lo mein eater" and said he wanted to "do an R. Kelly on your seed, on your little baby girl. I would like to tinkle on her," according to the excerpts.
The comments apparently alluded to videotapes in 2002 showing a man bearing a strong resemblance to singer R. Kelly having sex with someone who appeared to be an underage girl and then urinating on her.
Torain and his half brother, Timothy Joseph, or Buc Wild, hosted Hot 97's morning drive time show beginning in 2000 and joined Clear Channel Radio in March 2004. They began working at Power 105 in January 2005.
Their show aired in markets including Philadelphia, Miami and Richmond, Va
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DJ Envy (above), his wife, Gia Casey, and their 4-year-old daughter were target of racist and violent on-air remarks by Troi Torain of Power 105.1. Yesterday, Gia Casey rallied for Torain's arrest.
Earlier story: I was just kiddin', sez DJ
A syndicated hip-hop disc jockey was arrested Friday on charges of harassment and endangering the welfare of a child amid an uproar over his on-air racial and sexual rants about a radio rival's wife and 4-year-old daughter.
Police officials had launched a hate crime investigation of DJ Star on Thursday after reviewing a transcript of his recent remarks about DJ Envy and his family.
DJ Star, whose real name is Troi Torain, was contacted by police on Friday and ordered to surrender a 9mm handgun and target practice permit at Police Headquarters. When he arrived, he was arrested and taken to the 1st Precinct stationhouse in lower Manhattan, said police spokesman Paul Browne.
The arrest capped a bad week for Torain.
After city Councilman John C. Liu and other outraged elected officials called a press conference to publicly scold Torain, he was fired on Wednesday from his job at Clear Channel Radio's Power 105.1 FM. Clear Channel, a unit of Clear Channel Communications Inc., said it found his statements "wholly unacceptable."
Not satisfied, the politicians demanded a criminal investigation - and immediately got one.
"This is a real consequence for Torain and sends a real message to other would-be racist pedophile radio stooges that they are not immune from the law," Liu said in a statement.
A call to Torain's attorney, Benjamin Brafman, was not immediately returned. The lawyer had apologized on behalf of his client on Thursday, calling the remarks "unsuitable and inappropriate."
In the comments, made between May 3 and Monday, Torain - co-host of the "Star & Buc Wild Morning Show" - offered $500 to any listener who could provide information about the rival DJ's daughter's school and used racial slurs when talking about his wife, who is part Asian.
"I will come for your kids," Torain said, according to transcribed excerpts provided by Liu's office. "I finally got the information on his slant-eyed, whore wife."
Torain also called the couple's child a "little half a lo mein eater" and said he wanted to "do an R. Kelly on your seed, on your little baby girl. I would like to tinkle on her," according to the excerpts.
The comments apparently alluded to videotapes in 2002 showing a man bearing a strong resemblance to singer R. Kelly having sex with someone who appeared to be an underage girl and then urinating on her.
Torain and his half brother, Timothy Joseph, or Buc Wild, hosted Hot 97's morning drive time show beginning in 2000 and joined Clear Channel Radio in March 2004. They began working at Power 105 in January 2005.
Their show aired in markets including Philadelphia, Miami and Richmond, Va