Eminem: Two Felony Counts

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/08/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Chart-busting Grammy winner Eminem was charged with two felony counts in Warren, Mich., on Tuesday stemming from a Sunday morning skirmish in the parking lot of the Hotel Rock Cafe in suburban Detroit. "The first is assault with a dangerous weapon," said prosecutor Carl Marlinga. The 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, allegedly assaulted John Guerra over the head with a 9mm Smith & Wesson gun (that was not loaded) "without the intent of committing the crime of murder," according to the prosecutor. Eminem/Mathers reportedly saw Guerra kiss his wife, Kimberly Mathers. She later told the Detroit Free Press that her husband "overreacted" to a friendly kiss between friends. The charge could bring Eminem a sentence ranging anywhere from probation to 17 months behind bars. He is also accused of carrying a concealed weapon (which carries a sentence from probation to a year in prison). Mathers, whose "The Marshall Mathers LP" is currently the No. 1 album in the country, will enter a plea of innocent when he is arraigned this afternoon, says his attorney.