ASAP Rocky has been found not guilty in his assault trial stemming from a 2021 shooting incident.
A Los Angeles jury found the 36-year-old rapper (born Rakim Mayers) not guilty on Tuesday, February 18, after closing arguments were completed on Friday, February 14, according to CNN. Rocky had previously been charged with two felony counts of assault with an semiautomatic weapon.
Immediately after the verdict was read out loud, Rocky could be seen leaping over the partition and into the arms of girlfriend Rihanna, who was seated in the first row of the courtroom.
Five witnesses testified for the prosecution over eight days about the case in which Rocky was accused of firing four or five shots at childhood friend ASAP Relli (born Terell Ephron) on a Hollywood street in 2021.
Lawyers in ASAP Rocky Trial Ask Prospective Jurors About Rihanna’s Influence
The accuser himself, an aspiring music manager, was on the stand for about three days’ worth of testimony, according to the Associated Press.
Relli testified that after his friendship with Rocky ended and grew into a feud, they had a confrontation in Hollywood that led to Rocky firing two shots at him. He says his knuckles were grazed, but he was otherwise not hurt.
Thomas Zizzo Jr. — a Los Angeles police officer and son of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne — took the stand during day one of the trial on Friday, January 14, TMZ reported.
According to the publication, Zizzo was one of the first LAPD officers to respond to the scene of the alleged 2021 incident.
Although she did not testify, Rihanna showed her support for Rocky by attending his trial on multiple days. The Fenty Beauty founder — who has dated Rocky since 2019 and shares two kids, RZA and Riot Rose, with the rapper — has not publicly commented on the case.
Rocky originally pleaded not guilty and faced up to 24 years in prison if convicted.
Raised in Harlem, New York, Rocky had his mainstream breakthrough when his first studio album, Long. Live. ASAP, went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2013.
While the Grammy nominee has found success in the music industry, his role as a fashion maven continues to grow. The suits he wears in court inspired a New York Times story on his style.
Rihanna Is ‘Holding It All Together’ Before ASAP Rocky’s Trial (Source)
Alongside Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, Anna Wintour and Lewis Hamilton, Rocky is expected to serve as a celebrity cochair for the 2025 Met Gala in May.
Guests will experience an exhibition entitled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at the New York museum.
This year’s event dress code, referred to as “Tailored for You,” is a nod to the exhibition’s focus on menswear and is “purposefully designed to provide guidance and invite creative interpretation.”
