A$AP Rocky Assault Trial: What We Know As His Partner Rihanna Arrives In Court – Forbes
Rapper A$AP Rocky was joined by his partner, billionaire pop star and businesswoman Rihanna, in court Wednesday as he stands trial in Los Angeles for felony assault charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty, stemming from an incident in which he is accused of firing a handgun at rapper A$AP Relli outside a Los Angeles hotel.A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to felony assault charges. (Photo by DUTCH/Bauer-Griffin/GC … [+] Images)A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, returned to the Los Angeles courthouse Wednesday as his partner Rihanna joined him for the first time, seated next to the rapper’s mother.The rapper’s trial began Friday after he turned down a plea deal which would have required him to plead guilty to one of two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in exchange for 180 days in jail—but without the plea deal, the rapper faces up to 24 years in prison if he is convicted.A$AP Relli, A$AP Rocky’s former friend and accuser whose real name is Terell Ephron, testified Tuesday and Wednesday, telling jurors he and A$AP Rocky had met outside a hotel in Los Angeles in November 2021 and that the rapper pulled a gun on him during an argument, then “pointed down and shot the first shot,” after which Relli felt his hand get “hot,” stating bullet grazed his left hand.A$AP Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina has said the rapper was carrying a “prop gun” he got from a music video set that is incapable of firing real bullets, also arguing prosecutors lack evidence including fingerprints and the gun from the alleged assault.Tacopina has also accused Relli of being driven by “jealousy, lies and greed,” alleging he fabricated parts of his claims for money.On the first day of the trial, prosecutors played surveillance footage that shows A$AP Rocky drawing a gun, and a separate clip that captures sound that appears to be gunshots, but neither clip directly captured the alleged shooting, the Los Angeles Times reported.A$AP Rocky was arrested in April 2022 in connection with the November 2021 incident upon returning to Los Angeles from a trip with Rihanna to her native Barbados. Upon his arrest, the Los Angeles Police Department said the rapper had fired a handgun at Relli, who had “sustained minor injuries” and sought medical treatment. A judge determined in November 2023 there is enough evidence for the rapper to stand trial, and his trial was initially set for October, before being pushed to January.A$AP Relli and A$AP Rocky were high school friends who were part of the same A$AP Mob music collective, which stands for Always Strive And Prosper. The two remained friends for years, but Relli testified they began to drift after A$AP Rocky “got famous,” stating he called Rocky “Mr. Six Month Man. I would see him every six months.” Relli testified it was “really hard having a relationship with Rocky,” stating he “lies a lot,” but resisted fighting with him out of fear it would harm his career. Relli testified Rocky had used slurs and swears while talking about Relli on the phone with a mutual friend, who had Rocky on speaker phone while Relli was in the car. Relli testified he felt Rocky “wanted to fight or something,” and the two texted about meeting up, which Relli testified he thought was to reconcile. Relli testified Rocky shouted at him and grabbed him violently before pulling the handgun, while two of their A$AP Mob colleagues, who had accompanied them, attempted to intervene. Relli testified he had walked after Rocky down the street, shouting at him, before Rocky turned around and shot him. “I was hit. Or I was grazed. I didn’t have a hole or nothing,” Relli testified.Rihanna, the billionaire pop star with whom A$AP Rocky has two children, was named multiple times during jury selection as lawyers questioned whether her fame would cloud the jurors’ judgement. Deputy District Attorney John Lewin asked a prospective juror whether it would be difficult for her to deliver a guilty verdict if Rihanna showed up in court, to which the woman answered “yes” after a long pause, the Associated Press reported. Others reportedly described themselves as Rihanna fans, but said that would not influence their decisions.A$AP Rocky was previously found guilty of assault in Sweden in 2019 in a case that captured the attention of President Donald Trump, who demanded Sweden free him. The rapper had spent more than a month in a Swedish detention center before the guilty verdict, after which he was no longer required to serve any more jail time. “A$AP Rocky released from prison and on his way home to the United States from Sweden. It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!” Trump tweeted in August 2019.Rapper A$AP Rocky Will Face Trial For Allegedly Firing Gun At Childhood Friend (Forbes)One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site’s Terms of Service. We’ve summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:So, how can you be a power user?Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site’s Terms of Service.
