Famous rapper DMX is claiming that police in South Carolina purposely hassled him by arresting him and bringing him to jail for driving without a license. At the end of the whole ordeal, the entertainer, whose name is Earl Simmons, ended up paying a fine and going along his way.

The rapper was arrested in Greer, where police saw him get in his car at a gas station and pull away. They pulled him over shortly after. DMX has a history of traffic citations in South Carolina, where media reports state that he has accumulated tickets in a number of cities throughout the state. He had previously been accused of driving without a license and only has a state ID card.

Simmons had also just completed a jail sentence he was forced to serve after his probation was revoked for driving without a license and refusing to submit to drug tests.

In this most recent confrontation with the law, DMX argued that police watched him while he was at the gas station and instead of confronting him when he got in his car, allowed him to drive away before pulling him over.

The rapper also had his 5-month-old daughter in the vehicle with him. Instead of making it easy on him and letting him pay his fine right there, police insisted on handcuffing the star and carting him to jail, where he paid his fine.

Simmons explained that he does not have to appear in court and that the situation was simply a waste of his time.

Traffic tickets and the legal troubles that come with them can indeed be a waste of time, especially when they are not addressed. Motorists cited for offenses on South Carolina roads must be sure to pay their fines so that a traffic infraction does not turn into something bigger.

Source: Los Angeles Times, "Rapper DMX arrested in S.C. on charge of driving without a license," Nardine Saad, Feb. 13, 2013