After considering the options in the wake of his studio brawl with Chris Brown last weekend, Frank Ocean announced on his Tumblr that he has decided not to press charges in the incident.
"As a child I thought if someone jumped me it would result in me murdering or mutilating a man," wrote Ocean. "But as a man I am not a killer. I'm an artist and a modern person. I'll choose sanity. No criminal charges. No civil lawsuit. Forgiveness, albeit difficult, is wisdom. Peace, albeit trite, is what I want in my short life. Peace."
Earlier in the week, Ocean made it clear to authorities that he was "desirous of prosecution in this incident," according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman, who said Brown had been named as a suspect in a battery report. A source close to Brown claimed that the singer was not involved in the parking lot fight at Westlake Recording Studios and was also interested in speaking to police.
Several days after the scuffle that reportedly involved six men, Brown was seen wearing a hard cast on his on his right hand. It was unclear if that hand was injured in the melee, but Ocean, who is performing at next Sunday's Grammy Awards, earlier tweeted, "cut my finger now I can't play w/two hands at the Grammys." Ocean also claimed in a tweet that he "got jumped by chris and a couple guys."
The announcement from Ocean is good news for Brown, who might have faced additional sanction if prosecutors had pursued the case because of the ongoing probation tied to his 2009 felony plea for assault on on-again, off-again girlfriend Rihanna.
Former Los Angeles district attorney Jacob Glucksman told that officials could still decide to pursue sanctions against Brown based on their investigation into the incident even if Ocean did not press charges, but at press time it was unknown if that was the case.