50 Cent Avoids Jail With Plea Deal

Rapper 50 Cent avoided a stint in prison after cutting a plea deal with prosecutors relating to three charges of assault and battery, according to news reports. In a Massachusetts court on May 13, the Queens-bred artist entered a plea admitting there was sufficient evidence to convict him of the charges.

The suit arose from a concert in Springfield, Massachusetts in May 2004 when 50 (real name: Curtis Jackson) was hit with a water bottle thrown from the crowd. The enraged rapper subsequently dove into the pit to attack the assailant and allegedly injured three women in the ensuing melee. Two of the women claim they were trampled while the other claimed the rapper punched her.

A judge ordered that 29-year-old Jackson be put on probation for two years—during which time he must stay off drugs, attend anger management classes and avoid breaking the law. If the rapper can fulfill these terms, he will be cleared of all charges.