Wiz Khalifa tackled, arrested at LAX for refusing to get off his 'hover board'

Wiz Khalifa detained at LAX over &quot;hover board&quot; incident

(Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

published 24 August 2015

On Saturday night, rapper Wiz Khalifa was returning to Los Angeles from a European tour when, according to Khalifa, he was forced to the ground by airport police, "all because," he later explained on Twitter, "I didn't want to ditch the technogy everyone will be using in the next six months." That technology? "I stand for our generation and our generation is gonna be riding hover boards," he added.

3 cops yell stop resisting. Only thing to do is let em know. I'm not resisting, I'm doin what I want.A video posted by Wiz Khalifa (@mistercap) on Aug 22, 2015 at 5:36pm PDT

The "hover board" he is talking about is really a two-wheeled scooter that's popular among Hollywood's young and famous — more of a small, handle-less Segway than what you might think of as a hoverboard. As for why he was tackled and detained, Customs and Border Patrol said privacy laws prevented them from discussing the specifics of the case, but generally: "CBP officers are conducting their critical national security mission while facilitating the entry of legitimate travelers. An uncompliant passenger or any disruptive behavior could put many at risk in this highly secure area."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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