ASAP Rocky is scheduled to go on trial for assault; if convicted, he could spend up to nine years behind bars. According to PEOPLE, the well-known rapper, 35, is accused of shooting A$AP Relli, a former friend and collaborator, with a handgun outside a Hollywood hotel back in 2021. Rocky has insisted on his innocence, but on November 20, 2023, a judge determined that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the case. Rocky’s fate is in jeopardy as his trial is scheduled for January 2024.
ASAP ROCKY’S CASE
A heated discussion is said to have occurred on November 6, 2021, outside the W Hotel in West Hollywood, California, between Rocky whose real name is Rakim Mayers and his childhood friend Terell Ephron who goes by the name Relli. Rocky is said to have taken out a semi-automatic handgun, shot Relli, and then left the area.
Rocky allegedly took hold of Relli’s collar and swayed him. Relli recalled, “I tried to push him off, get his hands off,” according to PEOPLE. At that moment, Rocky took a gun out of his waistband. It was a black semi automatic gun with a standard clip. He aimed it in my direction. Before allegedly shooting Relli from 16 feet away, Rocky allegedly threatened to kill him in the moment.
Relli stated in court on November 20 that he had minor injuries, which he displayed with pictures. He claimed to have returned to the scene an hour after the shooting in order to collect two 9 mm shell casings. Relli testified in court that he failed to report the incident to 911 for two days, despite the fact that it was purportedly captured on nearby security cameras.
Rocky was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport on April 20, 2022, more than five months after the shooting, but he was freed a few hours later on a $550,000 bond. Rocky was returning home at the time from a vacation in Barbados where he was spending time with Rihanna, with whom he currently has two children.
ASAP ROCKY’S CHARGES
On August 15, 2022, Rocky was formally charged with two counts of assault with a firearm. The rapper of “Praise the Lord” entered a not guilty plea to the charges in a Los Angeles court two days later. According to PEOPLE, Relli allegedly filed a different civil lawsuit against Rocky alleging emotional distress, battery, and assault. In addition to additional damages to cover his medical bills, Relli is requesting damages totalling $25,000.
According to the complaint filed by Relli’s attorney, “Defendant [Rocky] purposefully or with reckless disregard unlawfully brandished a firearm towards the plaintiff [Relli].” Moreover, the defendant willfully or carelessly let a bullet projectile or fragment strike the plaintiff. The defendant’s actions were illegal or otherwise excessive and ludicrous in both cases.
ASAP ROCKY’S TRIAL DATES
If Rocky is found guilty of the charges, he could spend up to nine years in prison.
At a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles on November 20, 2023, Judge M.L. Villar declared that Rocky’s trial would start on January 8, 2024. Before the judge rendered his decision, Rocky and Relli’s legal teams gave testimony for a full day and a half. According to CBS News, Villar stated in court that there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial because of the “totality of the video and testimony.”
Rocky has adamantly maintained his innocence in the assault case.
