Everything to Know About the Case – Hollywood Life
A$AP Rocky is at present on trial for 2 counts of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The well-known rapper has been accused of firing a handgun at former good friend and collaborator A$AP Relli exterior a Hollywood lodge again in 2021. While Rocky has maintained his innocence, a decide selected November 20, 2023 that there was sufficient proof for the case to transfer ahead. At a listening to on January 8, 2024, he pleaded not responsible to each counts in the case. His trial formally started on October 21, 2024.
Here is every thing you want to find out about Rocky’s assault case.
What Did A$AP Rocky Allegedly Do?
On November 6, 2021, Rocky (actual identify Rakim Mayers) allegedly obtained right into a “heated discussion” with Relli (actual identify Terell Ephron), a childhood good friend, exterior the W Hotel in West Hollywood, California. Rihanna‘s boyfriend allegedly pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired it at Relli, earlier than fleeing the scene.
“He grabbed me on my collar. He was shaking me. I tried to push him off, get his hands off,” Relli recalled in the courtroom on November 20, 2023, per PEOPLE. “That’s when [Rocky] pulled a gun from his waistband. It was a standard clip and a semi-automatic black gun. He pointed it toward my stomach.” Relli alleged that Rocky informed him, “I’ll kill you right now,” earlier than he allegedly shot him from 16 toes away.
Relli claimed he suffered minor injures that he confirmed images of in the courtroom on November 20. He stated an hour after the taking pictures, he returned to the scene to retrieve two 9mm shell casings. Relli defined in court docket that he waited two days to name 911 to report the incident, which was reportedly caught on close by surveillance cameras.
What Is A$AP Rocky Being Charged With?
Over 5 months after the taking pictures, Rocky was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on April 20, 2022, however was launched on $550,000 bail simply hours later. At the time, Rocky was coming house from Barbados the place he was on trip with Rihanna, with whom he now shares two kids.
Rocky was formally charged with two counts of assault with a firearm on August 15, 2022. Two days later, the “Praise the Lord” rapper pled not responsible to the prices in a Los Angeles court docket. Relli reportedly filed a separate civil lawsuit towards Rocky for assault, battery, and emotional misery, in accordance to PEOPLE. Relli is in search of $25,000 in damages and extra damages to cowl his medical payments.
“Defendant [Rocky] purposefully or with reckless disregard unlawfully brandished a firearm towards the plaintiff [Relli],” the criticism from Relli’s lawyer filed reportedly states. “Further, defendant purposefully or with reckless disregard caused a bullet projectile/fragment to hit the plaintiff. In both instances, defendant’s conduct was unlawful or otherwise extreme and outrageous.”
Rocky faces up to 9 years in jail if he’s discovered responsible of the prices.
When Does A$AP Rocky’s Trial Begin?
Rocky’s trial was introduced by Judge M.L. Villar throughout a preliminary listening to in L.A. on November 20, 2023. There have been a day and a half of testimonies from Rocky and Relli’s authorized groups earlier than the decide made his resolution. Villar defined in court docket that the “totality of the video and testimony” confirmed there’s sufficient proof for the case to transfer to trial, CBS News reported.
On January 8, 2024, Rocky pleaded not responsible to gun prices, together with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The trial started on October 21 of that 12 months.
What Has A$AP Rocky Said About the Case?
Rocky has professed his innocence by way of his authorized crew in the assault case.
“We’re not disappointed, not surprised, we expected to go to trial, we’ve been planning for trial all along,” Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, stated exterior the court docket on November 20, in accordance to ABC News. “Rocky is going to be vindicated when all this is said and done, without question.”
While talking to reporters, Tacopina was additionally requested if Rocky can have Rihanna present up to his trial. “He would never subject his family, he wants to shield them, he’s handling it like Rocky would handle something, he protects his family,” Tacopina stated.
After pleading not responsible in court docket on January 8, 2024, Rocky’s lawyer gave a press release to the media. “We have a lot of evidence that we have a strong suspicion the prosecutors don’t know about,” Tacopina stated exterior the Los Angeles court docket.
