A$AP Rocky claims he did not shoot friend A$AP Relli during an argument in Hollywood and has branded it an extortion attempt after pleading not guilty to charges in a Los Angeles courthouse last month.
The 33-year-old rapper’s – born Rakim Athelaston Mayers – lawyer Joe Tacopina told TMZ on Friday: ‘Rocky didn’t commit a crime.
‘It was an extortion attempt by a former associate, who threatened to make false criminal accusations if Rocky didn’t pay him.’
Last month Rocky – who is the boyfriend of singing superstar Rihanna and father of her four month-old baby boy – pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to shooting at a former friend and music partner during an argument.
‘It was an extortion attempt by a former associate’: A$AP Rocky claims he did not shoot friend A$AP Relli during an argument in Hollywood and has branded it an extortion attempt his lawyer Joe Tacopina told TMZ on Friday after pleading not guilty to charges in a Los Angeles courthouse last month (pictured)
Charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, Rocky – real name Rakim Mayers – is facing up to four years in jail on each charge if he’s convicted.
Tacopina told the publication that he has two eyewitnesses who reiterate Rocky’s claims that Relli was not actually hit by bullet fragments and that shots were not even fired.
The lawyer claims that Rocky’s friend had made up the story in a ‘get-rich-quick scheme.’
Tacopina told the publication that he has two eyewitnesses who reiterate Rocky’s claims that Relli (pictured) was not actually hit by bullet fragments and that shots were not even fired. He also claimed it was a ‘get-rich-quick scheme’
Tacopina believes that both the civil and criminal cases against Rocky are ‘slam dunks’ as he told TMZ: ‘What will become abundantly clear in the upcoming months, based on facts and evidence, is that Rocky is innocent of these charges.’
At his criminal court arraignment on August 17 in downtown LA, the hip-hop artist showed up in dark blue suit and tie, with his hair braided in corn rows, and flanked by several dark-suited minders
When Judge Victoria Wilson asked Mayers how he wanted to plead today, his attorney, Sara Caplan, entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ to both charges.
Serious: On August 17, A$AP Rocky – boyfriend of singing superstar Rihanna and father of her three month-old baby boy – appeared in Los Angeles court to plead not guilty
The rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, who is charged with two counts of assault with a firearm stemming, arrives to his court appearance in Los Angeles
Rap star ASAP Rocky arrives at a Los Angeles court on Wednesday with a suit on after being charged with felony assault with a firearm
When Judge Victoria Wilson asked Mayers how he wanted to plead today, his attorney, Sara Caplan, entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ to both charges
Rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty to shooting at a friend during an argument. The shooting occurred in November 2021, when his girlfriend, Rihanna, was four months pregnant
The judge continued Mayers’ $550,000 bail and scheduled a pre-trial hearing November 2.
And she issued a protective order, meaning that Mayers must not ‘attack or harass’ his alleged victim – fellow rapper Terell Ephron – or contact him or come within 100 yards of him.
Judge Wilson also ruled that Mayers could not ‘own or possess’ any firearms and ordered him to hand in any guns he already has.
The charges arise from an altercation in Hollywood last November 6 between Mayers and Ephron – whose stage name is ASAP Relli and who was a member with Rocky in the ASAP Mob rap group that started in Harlem in 2006.
Prosecutors say that during the argument, Mayers pointed the handgun at Ephron, then fired it twice toward him, injuring his hand.
Ephron this week filed a civil assault and battery lawsuit in LA against Mayers in which his attorneys say that Mayers, ‘pulled out a handgun and purposefully pointed it in the direction of (Ephron) and fired multiple shots.’
Rocky appears in court to enter a plea of not guilty. The judge continued Mayers’ $550,000 bail and scheduled a pre-trial hearing November 2
Charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, Rocky – real name Rakim Mayers – is facing up to four years in jail on each charge if he’s convicted
Ephron’s attorneys Jamal Tooson (L) and Brian Hurwitz (R) the attorneys for A$AP Relli speak to the media outside the courthouse in Los Angeles
Adding that Ephron was ‘in fear for his life,’ the suit says that Ephron was ‘struck by bullet projectile/fragments’ causing him injuries that required medical attention.
Ephron claims the rapper shot him in the area of Selma and Argyle Avenues in Hollywood following an argument.
Mayers is accused of approaching Ephron on the street around 10.15pm on November 6 and firing a handgun at him three or four times.
One of the bullets reportedly grazed the Ephron’s left hand and he later sought medical treatment.
In court today, attorney Caplan asked that the protective order the judge issued against Mayers be ‘mutual’ – that Ephron should also be ordered not to attack or harass Rocky and stay 100 years away from him – because Mayers ‘is also in danger.’
But Judge Wilson restricted the protective order to apply only against Mayer and told Caplan that if a case was subsequently brought against Ephron ‘we can deal with that then’.
Mayers was arrested April 20 at LAX airport as he stepped off a private plane from Barbados where he had been on vacation with then-pregnant Rihanna, 34.
The case is still being investigated by the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Unit.
A$AP Rocky leaves the courthouse after his arraignment in Los Angeles
Rapper A$AP Rocky, also known as Rakim Mayers, leaves after his arraignment hearing on charges of assault with a firearm, at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles
Cops held him for a few hours on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, then released him on $550,000 bail and sent the case to the LA District Attorney to prosecute.
It wasn’t till Monday of this week – August 15 – that LA DA George Gascon decided that the charges were serious enough to press for felony status, rather than misdemeanor which would have meant only a maximum of one year jail time for each count.
‘Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood,’ said Gascon after announcing the charges.
‘My office conducted a thorough review not the evidence in this case and determined that the addition of a special firearm allegation was warranted.’