A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty Monday after a judge in November found there was enough evidence to stand trial on charges involving an incident with his former friend and accuser A$AP Relli in 2021. Rocky was accused of shooting from a semi-automatic pistol on Rella.
After the indictment, defense attorney Joe Tacopina told reporters that Rocky, aka Rakim Mayers, was “as cool as a cucumber” ahead of the trial.
He also said Rocky — who shares two sons, RZA, 19 months, and Riot Rose, 5 months, with pop superstar Rihanna — was eager for the trial to end “so he can start enjoying his family.”
The next hearing for the “Praise the Lord” rapper, 35, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a firearm in August 2022, is scheduled for March 6.
A$AP Rocky to go on trial in January after being accused of shooting A$AP Relli
During the hearing in November, Detective Frank Flores took the stand and a new video surveillance camera was introduced, in addition to what was shown at the previous hearing that month. In the new video, two loud gunshots can be heard, but not seen, which the prosecution claims is the alleged shooting.
Flores confirmed that he reviewed the video in his investigation, and Rocky had a gun in his hand during the altercation. However, during cross-examination, he revealed that the gun was never found. Meanwhile, two shell casings recovered from the scene by Relli (real name Terell Ephron) and handed over to the police two days later had no fingerprints.
At a previous hearing, a photo of Rella’s minor injuries shown in court showed small patches of raw, bloody skin on the knuckles of the index, middle and ring fingers of her left hand.
According to legal documents obtained by PEOPLE, Relli filed a civil suit against Rocky on Aug. 10, 2022, for assault, battery and emotional distress. Rocky has denied all the claims.
A$AP Rocky arrives in court in Los Angeles on January 8, 2024.
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In their response to the civil suit, his attorneys wrote: “Defendant generally denies all allegations of the complaint and specifically denies that Plaintiff has been harmed in any amount or in any way as a result of any act or failure to respond by Defendant. Injuries and/or or the damages complained of in the complaint, if any, are caused solely, directly and immediately by the negligence and/or intentional acts or omissions of a person who is not a responsible person.”
Relli, a former colleague from the hip-hop collective A$AP Mob, claimed that he was hit by bullet fragments after an argument, and said in court that he sought the necessary medical attention at a hospital in New York. The two were childhood friends and went to high school together in New York.
“We were really cool. We were relaxed the whole time,” Relli recalled on the stand, before stating that the tension began to rise when Rocky achieved solo success and became a “big head”.
After their friend and mobster A$AP Josh died in October 2021, Relli testified that his mother asked for financial help to bring his body back to New York and that Rocky promised to help financially through a group message. Although Tacopina claimed Rocky had paid in full, Relli did not believe that had happened at the time, he told the court.
A month later — and days before Rocky headlined ComplexCon — Relli said he overheard Rocky bad-mouthing him on speakerphone to another friend and decided to end their friendship. “True, it was a good feeling. I was mentally preparing to leave and I don’t need that kind of stigma or type of people. [Rocky] it would never help,” Relli said.
He told the court that he later saw Rocky with his two friends Illijah Ulang (A$AP Illz) and Jamil Phillips (A$AP Twelvyy) outside a garage on Hollywood Boulevard. Surveillance video shown in court appears to show Rocky walking toward Relli and pushing him.
Surveillance camera footage (without sound) then showed a group of men fighting at the corner of Selma Avenue and Vista Del Mar Avenue in Hollywood.
“Rocky turned and shot me,” Relli said in November, noting he was about 16 feet away. “Everything looked like a movie.” He went on to testify that Rocky fired “three or four” more times at Relli, who said he was using A$AP Illz as a human shield.
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A$AP Rocky.
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The video ended with one member of the group running while the other two men fled on foot after a gun was allegedly fired. About an hour later, Relli testified, he returned to the scene to retrieve two 9mm shell casings from the incident. During cross-examination, Relli admitted that he didn’t call 911 until two days later because he wanted to hire a lawyer first.
Rocky was subsequently arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on April 20, 2022, and was released on bail the same day, according to Los Angeles Times. He was returning on a private jet from Barbados, where he vacationed with Rihanna — just weeks before the RZA couple’s first son was born. Rocky was later released after posting $550,000 bail, according to a media release.
After the arrest, LAPD detectives searched the rapper’s home for evidence in the case. According to Los Angeles Timesdetectives kept the artist under surveillance for some time and followed his return from the island.
Rella’s lawyers argued in the civil suit that Rocky’s behavior was “extreme and outrageous” and that their client suffered “severe emotional distress.” Relli is suing for more than $25,000 in general damages, additional money to cover her medical bills and an unspecified amount in punitive damages in civil court.
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