Flavor Flav Feet Away From Being Crushed by Falling Boulder

Rapper Flavor Flav survived a near-death experience on Tuesday when a boulder struck his car. Flav briefly lost control of his car but was able to safely get his vehicle to the side of the road. He later told TMZ, “God is good” and he is “super grateful” to still be alive. He did not suffer any injuries during the scary incident.

Flav’s representative told TMZ he was driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles on Tuesday when rain caused a boulder to tumble down a cliffside in La Tuna Canyon. The massive rock hit the passenger side of Flav’s car, smashing the hood and front headlight. Flav lost control for a moment but safely drove to the side of the road. If the boulder fell a few feet in another direction, Flav would have died. His team provided TMZ with a photo of the damage.

The Public Enemy co-founder, 62, told TMZ he “came very close to death but is super grateful to be alive.” A witness also told the site they “began to freak out” and stopped by Flav’s vehicle to make sure he was OK. His team called AAA to help him, since the car was totaled. “Thank god he survived and is okay, although a bit emotionally shaken up,” Flav’s rep told PEOPLE.

The near-death experience came weeks after Flav was arrested on misdemeanor domestic battery charges in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas. He was arrested on Oct. 5 for a dispute with an alleged victim the day before, police told PEOPLE. Flav allegedly grabbed the woman, poked his finger in her face, and threw her to the ground. He allegedly pulled a phone out of her hand, according to the city attorney. 

The alleged victim is reportedly a woman Flav was dating and he shares a son with her. Their son allegedly broke up the fight. Officers said they found a cut on the woman’s face. “In alleged domestic violence cases, there are often two sides to the story, and we will explain our side in the courtroom and not in the media,” Flav’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, told PEOPLE.

Flavor Flav was born William Jonathan Drayton Jr. and is best known for his role in founding Public Enemy with Chuck D in 1985. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 as a member of the group. Flav starred in several reality TV shows, including The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love.