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Bennett Sipes has been identified as the victim involved in a fight that broke out at a West Hollywood hotspot back in March. According to TMZ, Sipes has hired a lawyer and he’s preparing to take legal action against Bendjima, Odell Beckham Jr., and Drake; the latter two were at the scene at the time of the fight, as evidenced by surveillance footage.
Here’s what you need to know:
He Grew up in Maryland But Currently Lives in Los Angeles
Sipes, who was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, is a model signed with the Mavrick Agency. He is an employee at Delilah, but wasn’t working the night of the fight. It isn’t all that uncommon for aspiring models and actors to pick up jobs at restaurants and bars to keep paying their bills while looking for work in their respective industries.
According to an IMDb page that appears to belong to Sipes, he has one credit to his name. He appeared in one episode of the 2016 television series, Relevant. His part was very small — he is listed as a “male hiker.”
Since his name was released by TMZ, Sipes, 24, has deactivated his Facebook page, deleted his Twitter page, and set his Instagram account to private.
He Is Still in Physical Therapy for Injuries He Sustained in the Fight
In the fight video posted by TMZ, Sipes opens the back door in an the alley behind Delilah restaurant. It looks like there were some words exchanged before Bendjima punches the victim four times in the head. Someone else joins in on the fight, and Sipes eventually falls to the ground. Bendjima doesn’t let up, however, and continues throwing punches.
“Attorney Jones believes the other man who began punching was a member of either Drake’s or Odell’s security team, which would make them responsible for what the guy did. Sources connected with the group say Sipes was the aggressor in the VIP area, and incited them as they left. They also say Drake and Odell had nothing to do with the fight,” TMZ reports.
According to Sipes’ lawyer, he is still in physical therapy now, five months after the altercation.
He Is Thought to Be Dating Instagram Model Sommer Ray
As for why the fight broke out to begin with, Sipes’ lawyer told TMZ that it was over a female. Sipes’ girlfriend, well-known Instagram model Sommer Ray, was in the VIP section, talking to Beckham Jr. When Sipes went over to get his girlfriend, Beckham Jr. reportedly wasn’t happy.
At this point in time, it is unclear if Sipes and Ray are still an item. There is no sign of Sipes on Ray’s Instagram page, which is filled with bikini shots and workout videos. Ray has 19 million followers on the platform.
According to the 21-year-old’s bio, she loves fitness, and has shared her routines in the Evolve app.
“Evolve was built on the premise that living a healthy life should be easy and accessible to anyone. With the marriage of cutting edge technology & beautiful design, we are single-handedly paving the way for how the modern person becomes and stays healthy. And this is only the beginning,” reads the app’s description on iTunes.