Bow Wow Mugshot Shows Large Scratches Across His Face

Bow Wow’s mugshot was released after his arrest in Atlanta on Saturday, revealing angry-red scratches across his face.

Bow Wow was taken into custody in the early hours of Saturday morning when police got a call about a domestic dispute. As first reported by TMZ, both Bow Wow and his ex-girlfriend, Leslie Holden, were arrested for battery, since police could not tell who had attacked whom. They were also both said to have visible but minor injuries, though Bow Wow’s stood out more starkly.

The 31-year-old rapper and TV personality had two deep scratches on his forehead in his new mugshot. Another was just under his right eye. He wore a blank expression in the picture, but the cuts told a story of a frightening attack and a dangerous encounter.

Both Bow Wow and Holden claimed that they were the one attacked first in the early morning incident. Police received a call from them at around 4:15 a.m. Bow Wow’s lawyer, Joe Habachy, told the Huffington Post that Bow Wow was released on signature bond, while Holden’s fate remains unclear.

Habachy added that Bow Wow had two witnesses to speak in his favor, corroborating his version of events and stating that Holden was “without a doubt the primary aggressor.”

Many fans were shocked by the mugshot, especially when compared to Holden’s, which showed no visible injuries. On Twitter, some mocked the rapper for “losing” his fight, posting memes and GIFs of one-sided skirmishes.

On a more serious note, other fans posted support for Bow Wow, and hoped that he would press charges against Holden. They were particularly incensed that the rapper had taken such visible damage to his face right before the Super Bowl — one of the most high profile events of the year.

“We can not continue to let these women treat us like this,” joked one fan. “Justice for Bow Wow.”

“Oh nah! Domestic violence is wrong coming from a male or female,” wrote another. “I hope [Bow Wow] is okay and presses charges smfh!”

Bow Wow himself has not commented publicly on the violent encounter. His only acknowledgement of it was to retweet a fan account sending “positive vibes” his way. This is the rapper’s first arrest, though he has had legal entanglements before. Bow Wow faced a lengthy child support deliberation in 2012, and many fans felt that he misrepresented his finances at the time, as he was hired for a new job on BET the very next day.