'Puffy': New Arrest

By Stephen M. Silverman

04/09/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Sean "Puffy" Combs, whose weapons possession and bribery trial ended in an acquittal only last month, was arrested and charged with driving with a suspended license after Miami Beach police pulled him over on Saturday night. Police say that he was riding a scooter along a South Beach strip and had made an illegal lane change. A background check showed that the hip-hop mogul, 31, had a suspended license, and he was arrested and released 20 minutes later, once he signed an agreement to appear in court, said Sgt. Peter Bitume of the Miami Beach police. The charge is punishable by a fine of up to $500 and possible jail time, the officer added. Nathalie Moar, a spokeswoman for Combs, told the Associated Press on Sunday that the rapper's license appeared to be suspended because of a paperwork delay "due to the holiday weekend." (Sunday was Easter.) In related news, Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, who was convicted on gun possession charges in the infamous 1999 Club New York shooting where Combs was in attendance, is due to be sentenced Monday.