Snoop Dogg arrested in Sweden, says he was racially profiled
In this June 27, 2015 file photo, Snoop Dogg performs during the 2015 BET Experience at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Swedish police say they briefly held Snoop Dogg on suspicion of drug use after he performed a concert near Stockholm Saturday evening, July 25, 2015. Credit: AP / Rich Fury
Rapper, actor and reality-TV star Snoop Dogg says his arrest in Sweden on Saturday was the result of racial profiling, a charge police deny.
"We gettin' sweated by the police right now, cuz," Snoop Dogg, born Calvin Broadus, told fans in an Instagram video posted Sunday, showing what appeared to be an arrest in progress. "I don't know what country we in but they sweatin' us right now for nothin'." In a later video -- one of several he posted about the incident -- he said he was "in the police station, [where police are] doin' a report on me, cuz. Profile, racial profile -- came and snatched me out of my car."
Police spokesman Christopher Nordstrom confirmed to People magazine that Snoop Dogg was briefly detained on suspicion of illegal drug use. Snoop's vehicle, in which he was a passenger, was stopped about 11 p.m., Nordstrom said.
"According to the police officer, Snoop Dogg showed signs of drug influence, so he was taken to the police station for a [urine] test," Nordstrom said. "After about an hour he was free to go."
Nordstrom said the arrest was standard procedure, even if the person under suspicion is a passenger. He told the magazine that results of the drug test will take about two weeks. If the test comes back positive, the case will be handed over to a prosecutor. The punishment for minor drug offenses is usually a fine, he said.
Nordstrom also noted that the stop was not racially motivated. An unnamed police spokesman said to TMZ.com, "We don't work like that in Sweden."
Regardless, Snoop Dogg pledged never to return to the Scandinavian nation. "Sorry 'bout that, all the fans in Sweden, I'll never be back in this country," he said in one of the videos. "Y'all can thank y'all police chief and all the people that run y'all police department."
