"You're trying to get me in trouble, so I'll have to pay you, like, $250,000," said rapper Kanye West to a camera man before lunging at him outside the Los Angeles Airport last July 12. Police announced today that an official battery investigation regarding the incident was underway.

The reporter was from TMZ, an online and television entertainment show. Prior to the attack, the camera man asked West, "What's going on, man? You're a cool guy. Why can't we talk to you?"

The rapper told the photographers not to engage him in a conversation.

According to TMZ, the camera man was admitted at the nearest hospital and that West could be looking at felony charges against him. The victim told the police that West was robbing him of his expensive camera.

According to the Los Angeles Times, sources said that there were no visible signs of injury on the camera man.

This news comes after the rapper's unexpectedly low turnout at the music sales charts. His latest offering, "Yeezus", sold only 327,000 copies - the rapper's lowest first-week sale figure ever.

Analysts predict that West's weak sales output and constant media controversy could signal a potential decline from his other enterprises such as Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Giuseppe Zanotti. 

Kanye West is among the wealthiest rappers in the world, with a reported US$100 million net worth.