Rapper Beanie Sigel Shot, Released From Hospital

Popular rapper Beanie Sigel was shot during an attempted robbery early this morning shortly after 8am, in Philadelphia. Sigel has been shadowed by a violent past and has already served jail time and has a notoriously violent past.

As Forbes reports, "The holdup was attempted around 7 a.m. by five males traveling in two cars, but there was some confusion about where the shooting took place, police said." A statement made by Sigel's attorney, Fortunato Perri Jr., said that the crime appeared to be "a random act of violence."

The Mercury News reports that after the shooting, "He drove himself to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where his white Chevy Impala LT sat outside the main entrance all morning, roped off by police tape." The Mercury News went on to quote a detective at the hospital who said "This is basically our crime scene right here. He has cooperated, he's told us what happened."

Police were unable to identify how many times Beanie Sigel was shot. They stated to the press that the rapper had been shot "one or two times in the upper right arm", according to CNN. Beanie Sigel has been treated for his injuries, and was released from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at around 11:40am. Sigel left in a wheelchair, still wearing a hospital gown, and had a blanket of his head. There was also a bloodstained towel over his right shoulder. As Sigel was leaving, he lowered the car window, and CBS News quoted him as saying "I got shot. I'm cool," after which, he showed the bandage on his left shoulder. His left arm was still in a sling, and his left hand was still bloodied.

Beanie Sigel, born Dwight Grant, has had many run-ins with the law in his past. He has twice been tried for the 2003 shooting of a man in a crowded street, though he was acquitted. He was released from jail in 2005 after serving a 10 month sentence for illegal possession of a gun, which stemmed from a 2002 traffic stop in Philadelphia. In November 2005, Beanie Sigel was briefly jailed again for failure to pay child support payments totaling $27,000, as well as a $2,000 fine. On January 10th, 2006, Sigel was convicted of assault, and was sentenced to two years probation and $180 in court costs.

Beanie Sigel has put out three albums in the course of his career. Firstly, Sigel released The Truth in 2000, under Roc-A-Fella Records. His follow-up album, The Reason performed well, as did his third offering, 2005's The B. Coming. All three albums hit the top five of the Billboard charts. Beanie Sigel also starred in the 2002 movie, State Property and its sequel.

[Additional Sources: Forbes, Mercury News, CNN, CBS News]