LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Prosecutors decided yesterday not to pursue a misdemeanor charge against Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx.
After watching a videotape of the group's Aug. 11 concert at the hotel and casino Mandalay Bay, District Attorney Stewart Bell said the words Sixx used might have been offensive but were protected by the First Amendment.
Sixx was arrested after the concert and accused of provoking a breach of peace.
Police said they warned Motley Crue band members before the concert that any statements to the crowd of 8,000 that could provoke violence would result in their arrests.
Police said near the end of the concert Sixx told the crowd: "Every time we come to town the (expletive) cops tell us we can't be Motley Crue. If they don't like it, we can start flipping over cop cars like we did a couple of years ago."
Police said this was a reference to a November 1997 incident in which police and security had to stop a Crue concert for about 10 minutes when a riot broke out at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts. Four people were injured, but no arrests were made.