In the early hours of Tuesday, a Manhattan parking lot became the scene of a shoot-out, when the young rapper Fabolous was shot by an unidentified man, who later fled the location. The MC was just coming out of P. Diddy's restaurant, Justin's, accompanied by three of his friends, when the yet mysterious man approached him and opened fire, hitting him in the thigh.

Seeing the wound that was bleeding profusely, Fabolous was taken into his car, a 2005 Dodge Magnum, which also left the scene without waiting for the police. As the vehicle transporting the wounded rapper sped (destination, unknown), it ran a red light, thus attracting the attention of a nearby police unit.

Fabolous and his entourage were pulled over and the officer found two loaded weapons in the car, for which none of the four men provided legal papers. The wounded was taken to Bellevue Hospital, were he was treated and where he is currently recovering. Fabolous is also facing charges of criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a defaced firearm, along with the other three men.

The rapper's lawyer, contacted immediately, Alberto A. Ebanks, says that his client was held for no reason, as he is obviously the victim and not the guilty party. 'He's been shot. I don't know why he's under arrest. Obviously he didn't shoot anyone', he said outside the hospital gates.

The police are now looking for the shooter but, for the moment, they have no leads to follow, a spokesperson said.