A$AP Rocky Acquitted in Felony Assault Trial

Rapper A$AP Rocky has been acquitted of felony assault following a highly publicized trial in Los Angeles.

The jury reached the verdict on Tuesday afternoon, February 18, after just three hours of deliberation.

Upon hearing the decision, the hip-hop artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, turned to celebrate with his excited supporters but stumbled and fell in the process.

“Thank y’all for saving my life,” Mayers told jurors as they left the courtroom.

The 36-year-old rapper faced two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

Had he been convicted, he could have been sentenced to up to 24 years in prison.

On the eve of the trial, Mayers declined a prosecution offer that included six months in jail, probation, and additional conditions in exchange for pleading guilty to one count.

Prosecutors claimed that during a dispute on a Hollywood street, Mayers fired a gun twice at his former close friend and fellow rapper, A$AP Relli.

The two had been part of the A$AP Mob crew since high school. According to prosecutors, they met in Hollywood on November 6, 2021, and after an altercation, Rocky allegedly pulled a gun and fired twice at his former friend.

Relli, whose real name is Terrell Ephron, was the prosecution’s key witness. He testified that one of the shots grazed his knuckles, but he was otherwise unharmed.

The defense countered that Mayers had fired only blanks from a prop gun taken from a music video set, presenting testimony from two members of the rapper’s inner circle to support the claim.

Mayers’ lawyer Joe Tacopina said in his closing argument that Ephron is “an angry pathological liar” who “committed perjury again and again and again and again.”

Mayers is the partner of global superstar Rihanna, who was present for much of the trial. She even brought their two young sons—2-year-old RZA Athelston Mayers and 1-year-old Riot Rose Mayers—to the closing arguments.

However, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin accused the couple of trying to influence the jury with their presence.

“They brought in two adorable children… for closing argument,” Lewin said. “They haven’t been here any other time. And you have to ask yourselves, why children that age would be here in a situation like this?”

He added, “You are not allowed to consider how this might affect Rihanna and his kids. We are all responsible for our own actions in the world.”

When the not-guilty verdict was announced on Tuesday, Rihanna became emotional, shedding tears as she embraced the defense attorneys.

Rihanna later took to her Instagram Stories to write: “The glory belongs to God and God alone! Thankful, humbled by his mercy.”