A$AP Rocky was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection with a 2021 shooting.
Rapper A$AP Rocky was found not guilty on two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm after he was accused of shooting at his onetime friend and bandmate following a heated argument in 2021.
The 36-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, embraced supporters in the gallery, as well as his attorneys, after the verdict was read in the courtroom Tuesday, eliciting loud cheers from some in attendance.
“First of all, we want to thank God,” he said outside Los Angeles Superior Court in downtown Los Angeles. “We really want to thank the jury for making the right decision.”
Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, embraces attorney Joe Tacopina after the verdict was read at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, on Tuesday.Daniel Cole / Pool/AFP via Getty Images
He added: “We’re blessed to be here right now, to be a free man talking to y’all.”
The jury cleared Mayers following a three-week trial during which Los Angeles County prosecutors painted him as an aggressive attacker who shot his childhood friend, rapper Terell Ephron, over a disagreement.
Mayers could have faced up to 24 years in prison, but prosecutors only sought 8 years.
“This is not a difficult case,” Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec said in his closing argument Thursday. “The question for you to answer in this case boils down to really just one question. … And that is did Mr. Mayers, the man at the table, did he use a real gun or did he use a fake gun. Was it a real gun or was it a fake gun? Nothing else is in dispute.”
The defense argued that Ephron, who goes by the name A$AP Relli, was envious of the hip-hop star and had assaulted him twice on the night of the shooting. Attorney Joe Tacopina said in his closing arguments that Mayer carried a prop gun when he did not have security and fired to stop Ephron from attacking one of their friends.
Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, from center, arrives to the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center for the sentencing in his felony assault trial in Los Angeles, on Tuesday.Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
Rihanna, Mayers’ partner, was seen arriving to court with their two children ahead of Thursday’s closing arguments, according to video obtained by TMZ. She returned to court on Friday.
The rapper pleaded not guilty and decided not to take the stand at his trial. He also turned down a pre-trial plea deal that would have led to 180 days in jail.
“I want my right not to testify,” he told Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold last week.
Following the verdict, his lawyer, Chad Seigel, stood alongside the rapper outside court as a crush of reporters jostled for space near the pair.
“We’re grateful to the jury,” the lawyer said. “They saw through this mirage of a case.”
Seigel added that his client “turned down a plea for no jail time because he was innocent.”
Fellow defense counsel Joe Tacopina, speaking outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, said evidence was lacking in the case.
“There’s not enough evidence in this case to say definitively there was a shooting,” he said.
Tacopina said Rihanna’s appearance in court wasn’t a publicity stunt but a symbol of the couple’s dedication to each other and their family.
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Prosecution started under former L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón and continued under successor Nathan Hochman, who said Tuesday’s result won’t dissuade him from prosecuting celebrities when necessary.
“While today’s verdict is not the outcome we sought, we respect the jury’s decision and the integrity of our justice system,” Hochman said in a statement. “Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who break the law, no matter their status or influence. Fame does not place anyone above the law.”
Mayers and other members of his A$AP rap collective were walking near a Hollywood hotel when Mayers allegedly pulled a semiautomatic pistol from his waistband, pointed it toward Ephron, and said, “I’m going to kill you,” prosecutors said. The two were meeting to settle a dispute. Mayers was accused of firing twice in Ephron’s direction. He told police that he believed one of the bullets grazed his hand.
Ephron testified that Mayers was aiming down when he fired the first shot.
“When he shot the first shot, I felt my hand hot, so I grabbed [A$AP] Illz, used him as a shield. He’s going around trying to shoot me between Illz,” Ephron said to the court, referring to another member of the rap collective. “I’m just trying not to get hit at this point.”
Ephron said Mayers was running toward him the second time he shot.
“He’s running and shooting,” Ephron testified.
A$AP Twelvyy, whose real name is Jamel Phillips, testified that Mayers carried a prop gun because he had been the victim of violent incidents, including home invasions and a stabbing in 2018.
“I know he had to get a whole new security staff. And also I know he walked around with a prop gun, like a starter pistol,” Phillips said.
He accused Ephron of being the aggressor, claiming he grabbed and shook Mayers on the night of the shooting. Phillips testified that when Mayers pulled the weapon, Ephron allegedly said, “Shoot that fake … gun.”
Rocky’s tour manager, the final witness to testify, also said it was a prop gun.
The crowd outside the court following Tuesday’s verdict included some supporters elated by the jury’s not guilty determination.
“He’s got a lot of fans,” Tacopina, the defense counsel, said. “That doesn’t happen because he’s a singer. That happens because of who he is as a person.”
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