Axl Rose accused of hitting photographer

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A photographer alleges he was punched by Guns N' Roses lead singer Axl Rose at Los Angeles International Airport during an altercation.

The photographer claims he was part of a group of photographers taking pictures of Rose and an unidentified woman at the airport Wednesday night when the woman got into a confrontation with the photographers, Rolling Stone magazine reported online Friday.

Rose, 47, then allegedly threw punches at the photographers, said the photographer, whose identity was not released.

The public relations firm Levine Communications Office defended the actions of its client, Rose, saying the rock singer was accosted by "unruly photographers."

"At the time of the incident, Mr. Rose was en route to Taipei, Taiwan, to kick off Guns N' Roses' tour of Southeast Asia, including shows in Taiwan, Korea and Japan. Mr. Rose, who was about to enter a security checkpoint at LAX when the altercation took place, was approached by a group of unchecked and unruly photographers who became aggressive with the singer and female members of the traveling group," the firm said.