A$AP Rocky found not guilty in felony assault trial.
By Olivia Peters
After a three-week trial, rapper A$AP Rocky was found not guilty of two felony counts of assault that could’ve put him in prison for more than two decades.
On Tuesday, a Los Angeles courtroom full of American rapper A$AP Rocky’s fans erupted into cheers as Rocky’s not-guilty verdict was read aloud.
After a three-week trial, the jury took three hours to reach their not guilty verdict. Rocky was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, which could have put him in prison for more than two decades.
A$AP Relli, a former friend of Rocky with whom he was in a group called the A$AP Mob, accused Rocky of shooting him after a fight. Relli alleged that on November 6, 2021, the two men met up in Hollywood, and after a fight, Rocky fired a gun at him twice. He claims one shot grazed his knuckle, but he was otherwise unharmed.
A$AP Rocky argued that he shot a prop gun that only fired blanks. He said he took this prop weapon from a music video set and carried it for security purposes. He claimed he fired the prop gun as a warning because Relli was attacking another A$AP Mob member.
It’s unclear whether the jurors reached their verdict because they believed Rocky was carrying a prop gun or because they believed he used reasonable force as he felt someone was in immediate danger that night. In either situation, the jury had the right to find him not guilty.
Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina spoke about the jury, saying, “They saw through this mirage of a case.” Tacopina continued, “He turned down a plea for almost no jail time because he was innocent.”
The night before the trial, Rocky turned down a prosecution offer of just six months in jail, along with probation and other conditions, if he would plead guilty to one count.
A$AP Rocky’s similarly famous partner Rihanna attended the trial occasionally with their two young sons. As the not guilty verdict was read, Rocky dove into Rihanna’s arms, and the couple sobbed.
In his closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin acknowledged the presence of Rhianna and the couple’s children in the courtroom as an attempt to manipulate the jury. He said, “You are not allowed to consider how this might affect Rihanna and his kids. We are all responsible for our own actions in the world.”
Tacopine responded to this outside of the courthouse, saying, “Rocky did not want her here, I will tell you that.” He said Rocky “wanted to shield her from this. Wild horses couldn’t keep her away.”
This trial has come at the height of A$AP Rocky’s fame as he has several big things in the works. The three-time Grammy nominee is set to headline the Rolling Loud music festival next month, he is one of the celebrity co-chairs of the Met Gala in May, and stars with Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s upcoming film “Highest 2 Lowest”.
Rocky spoke about the verdict, saying, “This whole experience has been crazy for the past 4 years. I’m thankful, and it’s blessed to be here right now to be a free man talking to y’all.”