Kanye West describes how cops in Wijnegem detained him at gunpoint

In September, when Kanye West (44) arrived in Wijnegem to acquire a new property, he had an unpleasant encounter with police services. In his podcast ‘Drink Champs’, the American rapper claims that a policeman once grabbed him at gunpoint during a stroll. During the podcast conversation, West was able to joke about the situation, but he was still surprised at the moment. ‘“When the cop pulled out his gun, I thought ‘well, I guess this is it’.”

“Three weeks ago, a cop pointed his gun at me,” Kanye, now also known as ‘Ye’, begins his account. “I was walking around Belgium wearing my black mask, which covered my whole face. Suddenly a cop came up to me with his gun in his hands.”

The Minos police zone confirms the incident and states that it was a misunderstanding because, like his imposing bodyguard, West indeed wore a full face mask – not just a mouth mask.

“I still remember September 5 as if it were yesterday”, says first commissioner Johan Wonnink in a reaction. “It was a warm, summery Sunday. We received a call that two fully masked men were walking around the lock complex, and as with every call, we sent someone there. Our dog handler found the two men and urged them to take off their masks.”

Kim Kardashian

However, the reminder was not heeded, after which the officer pulled his weapon from the holster. The weapon was not aimed directly at the men, but at the ground, the commissioner emphasizes. “Our colleague has kept his weapon in the so-called ‘low-ready’ position: pointed at a 45-degree angle to the ground, to indicate that it is ready for possible use.”

“Later, it turned out to be a communication misunderstanding: Kanye West obviously doesn’t speak Dutch,” said Wonnink. “Our colleague hadn’t heard of him either, so he didn’t recognize him. Not even when West took off his mask and said his name. It was only when the name ‘Kardashian’ (Reality star Kim Kardashian is the ex-wife of Ye West, ed.) was mentioned that his proverbial franc fell, and the incident was cleared up.”

Luxury loft

At the time of the facts, the police were not yet aware that the American superstar would have bought a luxury loft in Wijnegem on the Kanaal site of Axel Vervoordt, a personal acquaintance of his. “We didn’t know that at the beginning of September, of course.”