John Paul Jones could soon face a lawsuit from a professional autograph seeker who claims to have been assaulted by Jones’ bodyguard in March.

On March 22, Jones returned to his hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee as he prepared to perform a rare solo show at the Big Ears Festival in the city that evening.

Jones and his bodyguard Wesley Powell were then involved in an incident with a professional autograph seeker that led to a police report being filed.

Now, the autograph seeker Giovanni Arnold tells LedZepNews he plans to take legal action against Jones over the incident.

LedZepNews has obtained the full police report along with a video taken by Arnold. They show that Arnold repeatedly asked Jones for an autograph as Jones and his bodyguard returned to the hotel.

“John, I came from New York, mate. Can you sign please? One? One please,” Arnold said.

Jones declined to sign the items, saying “Sorry, no, no, no” as he entered the building.

Arnold positioned himself close to the hotel’s entrance, leading to Jones’ bodyguard slapping him and pushing him as Jones entered the building.

“Move out,” Powell said as he made contact with Arnold. Powell claimed that he made physical contact with the autograph seeker because he was concerned about Jones’ safety, the police report reveals.

In the video provided to LedZepNews by Arnold, he can be heard shouting “I’m going to sue the fuck out of you” after he was pushed in the hotel’s lobby.

Here’s the full description of the incident from the police report:

On 03/22/2024 at 16:50 hours, Officer B. Salmon (2439) responded to a Simple Assault at 407 Union Avenue, The Oliver Hotel.

Upon arrival, I spoke to the victim, Giovanni Arnold, who stated that while he was attempting to obtain an autograph from a musical performer, he was pushed and then struck in the face and neck area by a member of the performer’s security team.

I then spoke to the suspect, Wesley Powell, who works for Axis Security and is assigned as paid private security for the performer. The suspect stated that the victim began following him and his client from across Union Ave., in search of an autograph from his client. The suspect stated the victim was carrying a number of items that he requested signed. As the parties reached the front entrance to the Oliver Hotel, the suspect stated that the victim stood in front of the door, preventing him and his client from accessing the building.

At this point, the suspect pushed the victim out of the way and hastily entered with his client. The suspect stated that once he and his client had entered the building, the victim aggressively entered the building and approached him. The suspect stated that he was in fear for the safety of his client, so he open hand slapped the victim with his left hand then proceeded to push him out of the front door of the hotel allowing him to escort his client to safety.

I spoke to the listed witnesses who were present in the hotel lobby at the time of the incident. All witnesses gave a similar account, that the victim approached the suspect in a seemingly hostile manner and stated that the suspect made contact with the victim when the safety of the suspect’s client appeared to be in jeopardy.

I was able to watch video footage of the incident which showed the altercation at the front door, prior to entering the hotel. The video then clearly shows the victim enter the hotel and approach the suspect and his client. The suspect is then seen slapping the victim and pushing him out of the hotel before leaving with his client.

The victim requested an ambulance with complaints of neck pain, but self transported to the hospital when one was not available.

Arnold is a professional autograph seeker who was previously involved in a May 2018 altercation following a Met Gala afterparty in New York. Following that incident, he took legal action against Cardi B and Offset as well as Versace and XYZ Security.

If Arnold does choose to take legal action against Jones, the process could drag on for years. Arnold’s 2018 lawsuit over the New York incident continues to work its way through the courts, with The Supreme Court of the State of New York reportedly ordering in March that the dispute be moved to private mediation.

News of the incident involving Arnold and Jones’ bodyguard emerged on April 17 when RadarOnline published parts of the police report along with Arnold’s video.

A spokesman for the Knoxville Police Department told LedZepNews: “There is not an active police investigation in relation to the incident and, to my knowledge, nobody was arrested or charged.”

LedZepNews contacted Jones’ bodyguard Wesley Powell, Powell’s employer Axis Incorporated and Arnold’s lawyers at Daniel Szalkiewicz & Associates, P.C. for comment. Jones could not be reached for comment.

The full police report is embedded below. LedZepNews has redacted the phone numbers and personal addresses in the document.

John Paul Jones March 22 in… by James Cook