Russell Crowe will not be charged for the alleged assault of Azaelia Banks, an accusation he denied from the start. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles DA's office told People that they are declining to prosecute the 52-year-old actor due to lack of sufficient evidence. In October, Banks, accused Crowe of spitting and choking her then throwing her out of his hotel room, while using racial epithets against her. But according to people who witnessed the incident — which took place at a small dinner party in the Beverly Hills Hotels, where Banks was musician RZA's plus-one — the scene unfolded quite differently.
“Several attendees describe Banks, not Crowe, as the assaultive party," read court documents obtained by People. Guests told the DA that Banks was being "verbally aggressive" with other guests — repeatedly using a racial epithet — and threatening "to break a glass to cut the throat of a female guest and/or Crowe." The witnesses also say that "they saw Crowe struggle with Banks to prevent her from using the glass she picked up, seemingly to carry out her threat." At this point, Crowe physically escorted Banks out of the room — an action the DA concluded "was justified to prevent the imminent violence threatened by Banks." This corroborates with RZA's version of events, which also pegs Banks as the aggressor. Neither Banks nor Crowe has commented on the news of the case being dropped; we will update this story should that change.