Photos of Kid Cudi detained and handcuffed by police in Los Angeles was just a case of mistaken identity, says reports.

The rapper was on the west coast doing a photoshoot for an upcoming issue of British magazine NME on Monday (December 21). After he completed the shoot, he and his entourage hopped into two SUVs and were on their way.

A police chopper was searching the area for suspects in a robbery, and Cudi's vehicle matched the description. So, as they left, two police cars blocked off their path ahead, ordering Cudi and the passengers of the vehicles out of the car, and on their knees.

A fleet of squad cars swarmed the area, and began detaining the rapper and his crew, with at least one member being thrown into the back of a cop car.

NME Emily Mackay was on the scene, and blogged about the incident, saying she, Cudi and others were handcuffed, as "10 or so armed police officers with an alarming amount of weaponry pointed in our direction as a helicopter circles overhead."

Despite how serious the scene looked, it was a case of mistaken identity, and Cudi was released moments later.

"Who knows, really, the story changed a bunch," Cudi later told NME.com. "I'm just happy to be back. I'm a free man! For that moment I was not free. I was in handcuffs. It did not feel very comfortable."

Photos of the incident popped up all over the web on Monday, with bloggers speculating whether Kid Cudi had been arrested or not, and what the charges were for.

Cudi's manager, Plain Pat, tweeted about the incident shortly after, assuring fans that Cudi was not arrested.

TMZ was on the scene ... as always. Here's some footage of it below: