Mario Punches Sound Engineer at Rochester MusicFest

Usually rappers tend to be the hotheaded artists, making headlines for throwing 'bows without hesitation. Yet it was R&B singer Mario who followed in the footsteps of his hip-hop peers this weekend when he assaulted a sound engineer during a concert in upstate New York.

On Saturday (July 24), Mario, born Mario Barrett, attended the 16th Annual Rochester MusicFest 2010-a five-night, multi-venue format spanning multiple genres, including Gospel, Motown and Urban Contemporary. The 23-year-old Baltimore native hit the stage for fans, along with singers Anthony Hamilton and Jaheim.

According to a source at Rochester's 103.9 WDKX radio station, Mario, who released his fourth album, 'D.N.A.' last year, performed longer than the time allotted, causing a sound engineer at the venue to cut the power and turn on the lights during his set. An irate Mario reportedly punched the engineer, causing him to come close to falling off of the stage.

No statement from Mario or his camp regarding the incident has been released at this time.