R. Kelly lands into a physical battle with a fellow inmate while behind bars. TMZ learned that an angry inmate in Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center had attacked the R&B superstar in his cell, where he is awaiting trial on federal sexual abuse charges.
Reports from the federal law enforcement source claim that Kelly was sitting on his bed when another inmate walked in his cell and started punching him. The inmate was reportedly frustrated because the detention facility had been placed on lockdown a couple of times as a result of Kelly’s protesters outside the prison.
A doctor reportedly checked the 53-year-old singer and ascertained that he was fine and didn’t have any serious injuries following the confrontation.
Meanwhile, Kelly’s attorney, Steven Greenberg, refused to comment on the incident, saying that Kelly has been a model inmate.
R. Kelly, who surrendered to Chicago police last year is awaiting trial, and he is pleading not guilty to the charges. He is set to be tried first in New York, with jury selection slated to begin Sept. 29. But the date could be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahead of the trial, moreover, prosecutors said that three of Kelly’s associates tried to sway potential witnesses by intimidating and bribing them. A man set fire to a parked car outside the house of a woman who had accused Kelly of abuse, while another one of his accusers received an offer of $500,000 to buy her silence.
