West Point Stands by Punishment in LaBelle Incident

Last week, King's attorney filed a civil suit against LaBelle, three of her employees, an airport taxi dispatcher and the city of Houston to obtain actual and punitive damages in connection with the incident.

A Houston police incident report quoted LaBelle's limousine driver, Zuri Edwards, who contended a verbally abusive King punched him in the face when asked to move away from the singer's vehicle. Edwards told police he did not desire to press charges, and, after completing their investigation, police posed for photos with the singer.

King, however, asserted in his legal petition that he was pushed and punched for no apparent reason as he talked to a relative on his cell telephone. The incident occurred in the passenger pickup area of Terminal C.

King had arrived in Houston to visit his family during spring break.

Police said King told them he could not remember incidents regarding the attack and smelled of alcohol. King said he consumed "a few" drinks on his flight to Houston but was not impaired.

A security video of the incident showed King being pushed and punched by two men and a women. His head then was pushed into a concrete pillar. The tape did not show him returning blows.

Houston police have launched a review of the incident to determine whether officers at the scene conducted themselves in a professional manner.