A$AP Rocky's Legal Situation Just Got More Serious
A$AP Rocky (real name Rakim Mayers) was arrested for a disturbing reason back on April 20, 2022 and now, four months later, his legal troubles have come back to haunt him. As NBC News reported, the rapper was vacationing in Barbados with a very pregnant Rihanna and when they returned home on their private jet, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were waiting at Los Angeles International Airport to arrest him. Rocky was handcuffed and taken to LAPD HQ for questioning while cops also searched his home and gathered one box of possible evidence, per TMZ. After paying $550,000 bail, Rocky was released within three hours and although no charges were pressed, he did get a court date for August 17. As NBC News confirmed, the arrest was made in connection with a shooting that took place on November 6, 2021 at 10:20p.m. near the intersection of Vista Del Mar and Selma Avenue in Hollywood, California. Rocky was accused of shooting at an acquaintance twice before running off on foot with two other men, per People.
Less than a month later, RiRi gave birth to their first child and Rocky was all about fatherhood. As he told Dazed, he was looking forward to being a hands-on dad to his baby boy and raising an open-minded kiddo. "I just want a cool child with cool parents," he told the mag. Now, his focus has been shifted right back to the law as his legal situation just got more serious.
A$AP Rocky has officially been charged with assault
On August 10, one week before A$AP Rocky's scheduled court appearance, the rapper's high school best friend and former A$AP Mob member A$AP Relli (real name Terell Ephron) came forward to say he was the victim of the November 2021 shooting. Revealing his identity to Rolling Stone, Relli claimed his former friend tricked him into showing up at "an obscure location" to hash out their issues. However, according to a statement released by his attorneys, Jamal Tooson and Brian Hurwitz, it was a setup. "Unbeknownst to Mr. Ephron, A$AP Rocky was not just planning for a conversation and came armed with a semi-automatic handgun," they alleged. Apparently, the two did talk briefly, then "without provocation, warning, or any justification, A$AP Rocky produced the handgun and intentionally fired multiple shots at Mr. Ephron," hitting his left hand. Relli also told the outlet he had filed a civil suit against Rocky, alleging assault, battery, and emotional distress.
However, that's not the only legal problem Rocky's facing. On August 15, two days before his scheduled court appearance, the Grammy-nominated rapper was officially charged with two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón confirmed the news to People and said more charges could be coming because "discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood."