Los Angeles – US rapper A$AP Rocky will stand trial for twice pulling a gun on a former friend and shooting at him once, a court in Los Angeles ruled on Monday.
The 35-year-old, who has two children with R&B star Rihanna, is being prosecuted on two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He has denied the charges.
The court heard how Terell Ephron, one of the founding members of the A$AP collective, was left slightly injured after the confrontation in Hollywood in November 2021.
At a hearing last week, Ephron, known by his stage name A$AP Relli, said the friendship between the two men had soured, accusing him of abandoning other members of the group, which was founded in New York in 2008.
Judge M.L. Villar in Los Angeles ruled today that probable cause exists for two first-degree assault charges against Rakim Mayers, aka rap superstar A$AP Rocky.
Here’s full video of Judge Villar explaining her reasoning. 👩🏽⚖️ pic.twitter.com/nDTHtZCpVO
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) November 21, 2023
While A$AP Rocky whose real name is Rakim Mayers had gone on to fame and fortune, other members of the collective have descended into poverty and drug use, he said.
After the death of one member of the group, the two men clashed in an encounter partially caught on surveillance camera.
UPDATE: Here is the video footage shown in court today.
A Los Angeles judge says you cannot explicitly tell that it’s ASAP Rocky in the footage, but did find cause for the rapper to return in December. https://t.co/Eg8yaDOtzV pic.twitter.com/vIEYidr0so
— Mílagro (@MobzWorld) November 20, 2023
Ephron said Mayers pulled a gun and thrust it towards his stomach, saying “I’ll kill you right now.”
In a later altercation, Ephron said he told his former friend he had “failed everybody” but that nobody was brave enough to tell him.
“I just wanted him to hear my side,” Ephron said, adding that Mayers had then shot at him, with the bullet grazing his left hand.
Mayers, who is free on bail, was ordered to be arraigned on January 8.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Source: AFP
Picture: X/@MobzWorld
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
