Singer Vince Neil cited for battery in Nevada after scuffle with Nicolas Cage

[April 09, 2016]   By Alex Dobuzinskis

(Reuters) - Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil was cited for battery after he grabbed a woman by the hair when she sought an autograph of actor Nicolas Cage at a Las Vegas hotel, police said on Friday.

Cell phone video posted on celebrity website TMZ showed Cage grabbing Neil around the neck while restraining him and shouting, "Stop this." It does not show the fracas between Neil and the woman.

It was not immediately clear what Oscar-winner Cage and the formerly chart-topping Neil were doing at the hotel.

But the New York Daily News reported the two celebrities have been photographed together a number of times in years past.

In Thursday's incident, a woman told police she was asking Cage, the star of the films "National Treasure" and "Leaving Las Vegas," for his autograph at the hotel when Neil came up to her from behind and grabbed her by the hair, said Las Vegas police spokesman Michael Rodriguez.

Rodriguez did not release the woman's name.

Officers who went to the hotel to respond to her complaint cited Neil for misdemeanor battery, but did not arrest him, Rodriguez said. If convicted, Neil faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail, he said.

The 55-year-old rock star known for a number of 1980s hit songs, including "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood," has had previous brushes with the law in Las Vegas, where he is believed to have a home.

He was arrested and convicted in 2010 for drunk driving and the following year was charged with battery and disorderly conduct after he was accused of jabbing his ex-girlfriend at a theater.

He later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and the battery charge was dropped, according to the Clark County District Attorney's Office. He paid a $1,000 fine in the case but avoided jail, according to media reports from the time.

Representatives for Cage and Neil did not immediately return calls.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Matthew Lewis)

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