MC Hammer sidekick arrested in rape case

UPDATE: Aug. 5, 2022

This case was dismissed because of insufficient evidence as of June 15, 2010.

Marvin Grant, known as Bigg Marv on the A&E reality show that documents the life of rapper MC Hammer in Tracy, has been arrested and charged with raping a woman he had met on twitter.com. Grant, 33, was released Sunday on $60,000 bail.

The Manteca resident was arrested Thursday at the home of Hammer, whose real name is Stanley Burrell, in the 7600 block of Erb Way in Tracy.

Lt. Matthew Sarsfeld of the Livermore Police Department said Grant had romantic e-mail and telephone conversations with a 40-year-old woman from Los Angeles after they met online at twitter.com.

The two met in person for the first time at a Livermore hotel room the woman rented July 28. "By chance, he was flying in on (July 28) from Las Vegas to San Francisco airport. She agreed to drive up, because she was familiar with that area," Sarsfeld said.

The woman, whose name was not released, said Grant picked her up about 10 p.m. for a dinner date. The woman said that after dinner they returned to the hotel, where she turned down sex with Grant. She said the 300-pound television personality forced his weight onto her, pinned her left arm down and sexually assaulted her.

The following morning, the woman walked into the Police Department to report that she had been raped by Grant, Sarsfeld said.

Livermore police said they staked out Grant after he missed two appointments to turn himself in and arrested him in Tracy the next day.

On the television series "Hammertime," Grant appeared as a gentle giant, full of comedic antics, who endearingly mumbled his words, tried to lose weight and often danced along with the Burrell family.

The show, which ended its first season July 25, followed Burrell, a 1990s rap icon; his wife of 23 years, Stephanie; and their children. Grant was seen in most episodes.

The series premiere drew a modest rating of 1.1 million viewers.

Dan Silverman, a spokesman for A&E, declined to comment on the rape incident, and Stanley Burrell could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Burrell did, however, express himself about the situation on twitter.com. On Friday, he wrote, "(Grant is) a good guy. He has not been exposed to the 'World of Fame,' where you become 'The Prey.'"

In another entry, he said "Bigg Marv has been bailed out. Now we huddle up the DEFENSE and it's not a GAME. We are Fit for the BATTLE."

Joelle Gomez, director of the Women's Center of San Joaquin County, would not comment specifically on the case but spoke in general about such circumstances.

"Certainly we have higher risk factors when people are meeting online," Gomez said. She recommended meeting dates in public places, having a backup plan to leave and letting people know your whereabouts.

Gomez said rape victims are too often judged on their appearances or decisions, for example the decision to meet at a hotel.

"Certainly one of the things we advocate about prevention is making wise decisions, ... but when a woman said 'no' at any stage, that is a form of sexual assault or rape," Gomez said. "The bottom line is there is no such thing as an invitation for rape."

Contact reporter Jennie Rodriguez at (209) 943-8564 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Record: MC Hammer sidekick arrested in rape case