MANHATTAN — Doug E. Fresh was standing in the lobby of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse Thursday, acknowledging shout-outs from corrections officers and court personnel.
But the legendary rapper wasn't making an appearance to greet fans — he was there instead as a concerned dad.
The day before, his 23-year-old son, Dayquan Davis, who had modeled his own music career after his father’s, was arrested in Harlem for drunk driving.
Fresh, who is on tour with an old-school hip-hop revue and owns a Harlem restaurant, flew up from Florida to attend Davis’ arraignment and post $2,000 bail.
And then he waited to take his son home.
“He’s a nice guy, just caught in an unfortunate set of circumstances, that’s all, ” Fresh said during his hours-long wait, pausing to smile for photographs and waving to officers who shouted his name.
“Growing up, that happens.”
Davis, who formed the rap group Square Off with his younger brother, Solomon, was arrested at 4 a.m. Wednesday after a police officer saw him driving a 2001 Acura on West 125th Street, near Amsterdam Avenue with a broken headlight, according to a complaint filed in court.
The officer pulled Davis over and allegedly noticed that he had “watery and bloodshot eyes, had slurred speech and the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath.”
Davis refused a Breathalyzer test, and was arrested for driving while intoxicated. He then allegedly began flailing his arms, making it difficult for the officer to cuff him, and was charged with resisting arrest.
Fresh, who has six sons, said Dayquan Davis had been driving home from a party in Brooklyn with a friend behind the wheel. The friend was so intoxicated that he began throwing up and could not drive. So his son took the wheel.
“I’m definitely going to have a conversation with him and to make him look at it and make him understand,” Fresh said. “When kids are growing up there’s always something.”
Davis declined to comment after he was released except to say that his arm was in a sling because he fell as he was being arrested. He is due back in court next month.
