Pixiq

A 25-year-old Florida photographer will no doubt win a handsome sum if he decides to sue the thugs who beat him up and stole his camera.

Photographer Luis Santana said the thugs were limousine-riding bodyguards for hip hop artist Chris Brown, a 19-year-old boy wonder who had opened for Kanye West in St. Petersburg Monday night.

Santana, who was shooting for the Tampa Bay Times, took a few shots of Brown’s entourage as they left the Vintage Ultra Lounge to step into the limo.

Before he knew it, Brown’s bodyguards chased him and forced him to the ground, putting a knee on his jaw.

When he tried to push the knee away, the guards stole his camera, which was worth $3,000, according to the St. Petersburg Times, which publishes the tabloid Tampa Bay Times.

“This is outrageous. Our photographer was beaten up taking pictures on a public street,” said Neil Brown, executive editor of the Tampa Bay Times. “We anticipate the police can and will help us get to the bottom of this. We want our pictures back, and we want somebody held accountable for this assault.”