Cardi B’s latest music video shoot in New York City came with an unexpected side plot after a photographer was detained by NYPD officers during the production.
The incident happened Monday on the streets of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where Cardi had a permit to film.
Law enforcement sources identified the photographer as 70-year-old Steven Sands and said he disrupted the shoot, bypassed police barriers and failed to follow orders from officers and Cardi’s staff.
Sands disputes that account.
In an update at 6:20 PM PT, he categorically denied bypassing any barriers and offered his own version of the confrontation, saying he was trying to find a better position to photograph Cardi.
The situation unfolded while Cardi B was filming a music video on the streets of Sunset Park.
According to law enforcement sources, Sands disrupted the production after allegedly bypassing police barriers and ignoring instructions from Cardi’s staff.
Police sources also said Sands failed to comply when officers ordered him to stop his behavior.
The photographer was ultimately placed in handcuffs by NYPD officers.
Video from the scene shows Sands being detained next to a police patrol car while officers restrained him.
Despite the dramatic images, police said Sands was later released without being arrested.
He was instead issued a criminal court summons for disorderly conduct.
But Sands strongly disputes the police account of how the confrontation began.
Speaking to TMZ, Sands said he arrived at the video shoot before Cardi and was approached by a security guard.
According to Sands, the guard gave him instructions regarding crowd and media control.
Sands said the guard subsequently moved him behind equipment, leaving him unable to get a clear photograph of Cardi once filming began.
That is when the situation escalated.
Sands said he told the guard he wanted to move about 10 feet away to an open area where he could get a better shot of the rapper.
According to Sands, the guard refused and told him Cardi would not want him moving to that location.
Sands responded:
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t care what Cardi wants.”
He says the disagreement continued from there and ultimately resulted in police intervention.
The photographer’s account differs significantly from what law enforcement sources told TMZ.
The NYPD’s assertion was that Sands unlawfully bypassed barriers and failed to follow police instructions.
But in the latest update, Sands categorically denied ever bypassing any barriers.
That leaves two competing accounts of the moments leading up to his detention.
Cardi’s production was taking place on public streets in Brooklyn under a filming permit.
The presence of police and security was therefore part of the effort to manage the production area, crowds and media surrounding the shoot.
Sands, a 70-year-old photographer, was among the members of the media present at the scene.
According to his account, he was attempting to find a clear position from which to photograph Cardi after being moved behind equipment.
Police, however, characterized his conduct differently, saying he bypassed barriers and ignored instructions.
The disagreement ultimately resulted in Sands being placed in handcuffs and receiving a disorderly conduct summons.
The available information does not establish that Sands was formally arrested. Police said he was released after being detained.
His own denial also means the circumstances surrounding the alleged barrier violation remain disputed.
The incident highlights the tension that can arise when major celebrity productions collide with public spaces and the photographers trying to cover them.
For Cardi, the shoot continued despite the confrontation.
For Sands, however, what began as an attempt to secure a better position for a photograph ended with him in handcuffs and facing a criminal court summons.
The conflicting accounts also matter because the most dramatic images from the scene — Sands in handcuffs beside a police vehicle — do not by themselves establish what happened before officers intervened.
Police say one thing.
Sands says another.
And for now, those versions remain in direct conflict.
Sands’ account portrays the confrontation as a dispute over where he could stand to photograph Cardi rather than an attempt to disrupt the production.
He says he was simply looking for an open area after being moved behind equipment and that he never bypassed police barriers.
Whatever ultimately happened, the incident demonstrates how quickly disagreements over access and positioning can escalate when a high-profile celebrity shoot brings together artists, security, police and members of the press.
Cardi B’s Brooklyn video shoot continued, but the confrontation involving photographer Steven Sands has created a separate dispute over what actually happened.
Police say he violated barriers and ignored orders; Sands categorically denies bypassing any barriers and maintains he was simply trying to get a clear shot of Cardi.
