Soul singer Sky Whatley has been charged with simple battery after allegedly slapping a concertgoer during a Georgia performance, leaving her with two black eyes and a damaged tooth, according to an arrest warrant issued this week.
Whatley, who has roughly 3,500 monthly listeners on Spotify, was onstage at the Legendary Awards Show & Concert on Sept. 6 inside Londzell Performing Arts Theatre in Tucker, Georgia, when he allegedly struck Shamika Boyd unprovoked. Police issued the warrant earlier this week, though the musician had not been arrested as of the filing.
Boyd, who had attended the event to support her DJing daughter, spoke to 11Alive back in September about the moment of impact. “When he hit me, I was devastated because I’m thinking, ‘Why did he hit me? He had no reason to hit me,'” she told the outlet.
The force of the blow was severe enough to pop out composite material on her tooth and leave her with two black eyes, according to the report. Boyd maintains she posed no threat to the performer. “That’s the part that I don’t understand when I did nothing to him,” she said. “He was in no harm, no threat or anything.”
Boyd also alleges that Whatley escalated the confrontation verbally and with gestures after the physical strike. “After he flipped me off, he was like, ‘Eff you B, this is for the real men,'” she recalled.
Boyd reported the incident to police immediately after the show, but no action was taken on the alleged assault until the warrant was issued more than a month later.
Her attorney, Shannin Render, sharply criticized law enforcement for the delayed response to the caught-on-camera attack. “They’re just not doing their job,” Render told 11Alive. “I’ve done this for about 10 years now, and when there’s an active warrant, you get picked up. Especially with something of such notoriety.”
Render continued, “Unfortunately, Ms. Boyd let me know that they’re deciding not to go forward and they’re going to let him turn himself in.”
Boyd is now pursuing legal action against Whatley and seeking compensation for medical treatment and potential loss of income, Render revealed. “It’s not appropriate for you to enter a venue for you to be assaulted and then have to carry the burden of your medical expenses, transportation fees, and the recovery process of not being able to work or things of that nature,” the attorney said.
Render added that their goal is clear: “So, that’s where we come in to establish who was accountable and hold them accountable.”
Whatley has not publicly addressed the allegations or the outstanding warrant.