Snoop Dogg fan 'left for dead'

The rapper took notes throughout the opening statements

A man suing rapper Snoop Dogg has told a court he received a "brutal" beating from the star's security, according to the Associated Press.

Richard Monroe Jr also claims that the rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, hit him with a microphone after the fan tried to climb on stage.

Mr Broadus was in court and took notes as a lawyer for Mr Monroe said he had been "left for dead" at the 2005 gig.

The defence responded that Mr Monroe's description of events was exaggerated.

A jury heard opening statements from both sides in the civil suit which Mr Monroe originally filed in 2006. Mr Monroe is asking for $22m (£15m) in damages from the rapper and others.

'In shock'

Jurors were told that as the performer launched into his hit, Gin and Juice, at the White River Amphitheatre in Seattle, Mr Monroe thought there was an open invitation to go up on stage and party.

Associated Press reports that Mr Monroe told the court: "I was having fun, I was excited. Snoop was in the house".

Mr Monroe jumped on stage and put his hand on the rapper's shoulder. He claims the star then hit him over the head with a microphone before the security began to attack him.

Mr Monroe told jurors: "I was getting punched, kicked, kicked, punched. It was brutal. I was really in shock. I couldn't believe it."

Mr Broadus' lawyer, Hayes Michel, said that a video of the incident did not show the rapper hitting Mr Monroe and there was no reason for him to pay damages.

Jurors were shown the video. Mr Michel told them: "Mr Broadus thought he was being attacked," and said that the rapper's security had acted swiftly against Mr Monroe because the fan was struggling against them.

The lawyer also claimed that Mr Monroe had repeatedly changed both his story about the event and his description to doctors of his injuries and concluded "it's not the evidence of someone who was savagely beaten."

Mr Broadus, who runs his own production company and and played Huggy Bear in the 2004 remake of Starsky & Hutch, is expected to give evidence as the case continues in Santa Monica.