ASAP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty In Felony Gun Assault Case

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Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, sits in the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center during a preliminary hearing in his assault with a semiautomatic firearm case in Los Angeles, California, on 20 November 2023. The charges stem from a November 2021 incident where Rocky allegedly pointed a semi-automatic handgun at Terell Ephron and fired multiple times. (Photo by ALLISON DINNER / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALLISON DINNER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
ASAP Rocky is facing two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

ASAP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He entered his plea at a hearing in Los Angeles on Monday. A judge previously ruled in November that there was enough evidence against Rocky to warrant a trial in the shooting of his former friend and colleague, ASAP Relli. Relli accused Rocky of opening fire on him in Hollywood on November 6, 2022, while claiming that one of the bullets grazed his hand.

Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, labeled the assault allegation a “false scenario” as well as “a plain and blatant classic attempt at extortion,” in a statement to Rolling Stone. Tacopina added of Relli: “He’s a failed associate — ex-associate — of Rocky’s, and he’s jealous. He was trying to get money from Rocky. He wanted Rocky to support him, he made it clear. There were repeated attempts where he tried to ask for money in lieu of not causing problems for Rocky. That’s what he said. We have all this memorialized in text messages and otherwise, so it’s an extortion.”

ASAP Rocky Leaves Preliminary Hearing In Assault Case

Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, departs the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center after a preliminary hearing in his assault with a semiautomatic firearm case in Los Angeles, California, on 20 November 2023. The charges stem from a November 2021 incident where Rocky allegedly pointed a semi-automatic handgun at Terell Ephron and fired multiple times. (Photo by ALLISON DINNER / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALLISON DINNER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

At a preliminary hearing, Relli recounted the shooting taking place outside of a hotel. While there is a security footage video from the incident, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar noted that the “actual shooting” isn’t visible in the clip.

ASAP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty

In addition to the criminal charges, Relli is also suing Rocky for alleged assault, battery, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He filed the complaint in August 2022. Be on the lookout for further updates on ASAP Rocky on HotNewHipHop.

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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