To demolish his assault case

On January 21, 2025By Littum

A$AP Rocky’s trial for allegedly shooting a former friend in 2021 begins Tuesday in Los Angeles and is expected to last three weeks.

The 36-year-old rapper, born Rakim Mayers, is accused of two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm. He is accused of firing a gun twice at Terell Ephron, formerly known as A$AP Relli, following an altercation in Hollywood, California in November 2021. In January 2024, he pleaded not guilty to the weapons charges.

A$AP Rocky, a father of two toddlers with longtime girlfriend Rihanna, will begin his trial on January 21 after his legal team requested it be postponed from the original November 12 date. The delay allowed him to headline the Rolling Loud music festival in Thailand in November, his attorney, Joe Tacopina, confirmed to USA TODAY.

In November, during a preliminary hearing that included testimony and surveillance video evidence, a Los Angeles judge ruled there was enough evidence to put Puma’s creative director on trial.

The lawsuit against the Harlem, New York-born artist will no doubt complicate his life with the Bajan billionaire, with whom he shares sons RZA, 2, and Riot Rose, 1.

“We’re ready to go. It’s been a long time coming,” Rocky’s defense attorney, Joe Tacopina, said after a Jan. 15 hearing, according to Associated Press. “It’s been something that’s been hanging over Rocky’s head and Rihanna and their family’s heads for a while. We’re anxious to get this thing going and get this behind us.”

It’s unclear what implications the case may have for his career, as the rapper and 2025 Met Gala chairman is set to release his delayed fourth studio album, “Don’t Be Dumb,” in early 2025. The “Dope” actor is also set to star in the Rose Byrne film “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” out this month, and the upcoming Spike Lee film “Highest 2 Lowest” with Denzel Washington , Jeffrey Wright and Ice Spice later this year, according to his IMDb page.

He could serve up to 24 years in prison if convicted of all charges. The case follows his 2019 arrest in Sweden for assault, for which he was convicted and spent over a month in prison.

Here’s what we know.

ASAP Rocky trial: When does it start?

A preliminary trial date is set for January 21 in Los Angeles.

ASAP Rocky shooting: What is the rapper accused of doing?

Rocky is accused of shooting a former friend after an argument near a hotel in Hollywood, California on November 6, 2021.

According to authorities, an argument escalated and led to Rocky “firing a gun” at Ephron, according to the tweeted statement from the LAPD in April 2022.

Ephron received medical attention and suffered only minor injuries, according to police. Police said Rocky and two other men fled the scene on foot.

Video shown in court in November showed a group of men, two of whom officials identified as Rocky and Ephron, engaged in a verbal altercation, according to Associated Press.

A video prosecutors showed during a preliminary hearing in November includes what sounded like two gunshots followed by a man running around a corner and starting to walk, the outlet reported. The man’s identity is unclear, but an investigator with the Los Angeles Police Department said investigators have determined the person to be Rocky.

The video shows a man, whose face is not visible, in a hooded sweatshirt holding what appears to be a firearm, the AP reported. An image from the video shows the man in the sweatshirt’s face, while the gun is not visible. The detective said the photos are how investigators determined the person in question was the Billboard chart-topping rapper, according to the newspaper.

What charges is ASAP Rocky facing?

Rocky faces two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm in his criminal case. He also faces a separate civil lawsuit from Ephron.

Who is ASAP Relli?

Ephron, formerly known as A$AP Relli, testified at the hearing in November that he and his childhood friend Rocky belonged to the same group of artists at their New York high school, according to the AP. Both are part of what was known as the A$AP Mob, the hip-hop collective of chart-topping rappers A$AP Ferg and the late A$AP Yams.

Their relationship later soured and resulted in the Hollywood standoff on November 6, 2021, when Ephron said Rocky first pulled a gun on him.

There was also a later confrontation in which Rocky allegedly fired shots that grabbed his former friend’s knuckles, the AP reported. Police did not find the alleged firearm, a 9mm handgun, when Rocky obtained a search warrant.

ASAP Rocky arrested in assault case

In April 2022, police arrested the “Fashion Killa” rapper at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with the shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed at the time. The rapper was returning from a trip to Barbados with Rihanna when officers detained him at LAX before arresting him for “assault with a deadly weapon.”

The “Praise the Lord” rapper was later released from custody after posting $550,000 bail, the LAPD confirmed to USA TODAY. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Victoria B. Wilson ordered the rapper to stay away from Ephron.

In August 2022, Rocky pleaded not guilty to the charges. Rocky was required to plead guilty again in January 2024 after a ruling in November found there was sufficient evidence to put the rapper on trial.

Cast: Charles Trepany