Rapper A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty of assault charges in a Los Angeles court. The jury cleared the musician, legally known as Rakim Mayers, of two felony assault charges, which could have resulted in a 24-year prison sentence.
Terell Ephron, the accuser and a former friend, alleged that during a confrontation on a Hollywood street on November 6, 2021, the Grammy-nominated artist shot at him, grazing his knuckles with one of the shots.
Mr. Mayers, a prominent figure in fashion and the longtime partner of pop icon Rihanna, maintained his innocence, claiming the gun was a prop and accusing Mr. Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli, of extortion.
Cheers and applause filled the courtroom as the first not-guilty verdict was announced on Tuesday; Mr. Mayers embraced his family members in attendance.
He then hugged his legal team, visibly emotional, as the second verdict was read. “Thank God for saving my life,” he said, expressing his gratitude toward the twelve-member jury.
Following a heated dispute, the rapper was arrested on the assault charges in the bustling center of Hollywood.
Mr. Mayers and Mr. Ephron, former high school classmates in New York, were once part of the same hip-hop group, A$AP Mob, but their friendship deteriorated as Mr. Mayers’s career ascended.
The incident occurred on November 6, 2021, the day after a disagreement, with the pair meeting near a hotel close to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. A fierce argument broke out between them.
It was claimed that Mr. Mayers swiftly pulled a gun from his waistband and aimed it at Mr. Ephron, threatening, “I’ll kill you right now.”
“He looked me in the eyes and pointed the gun at me,” Mr. Ephron recounted in his testimony.
Mr. Ephron dared Mr. Mayers to shoot; instead, Mr. Mayers began to walk away. Mr. Ephron pursued him, yelling as he followed.
Prosecutors claimed Mr. Mayers then drew his gun again and fired several shots, one allegedly grazing Mr. Ephron’s knuckles.
The trial largely centered on whether the gun was simply a prop, as Mr. Mayers’s defense argued, or a lethal weapon, as claimed by Mr. Ephron and the prosecution. The gun has yet to be found by the police.
Parts of the confrontation were captured on surveillance video, which jurors reviewed, including audio of the shots fired, though no video directly showed the shooting.
Mr. Ephron reported the incident two days later, bringing shell casings he claimed to have collected from the scene. However, responding police found no shell casings in the area.
Mr. Ephron, returning later with his girlfriend, insisted he knew exactly where to look, but no video supports his claims.
He sought medical attention in New York after the incident, not at a Los Angeles hospital.
Mr. Mayers’s lawyers argued that Mr. Ephron might have planted the shell casings to incriminate the rapper.
