(UPI) — A jury in Los Angeles found rapper A$AP Rocky not guilty Tuesday in his felony assault trial after he was accused of shooting at a former associate and friend outside of a Hollywood hotel in 2021.
The Grammy-nominated rapper, who appeared in the courtroom Tuesday, jumped up and down after the verdict was read and hugged those around him, knocking some down as he said, “Thank ya’ll for saving my life.”
The jury, made up of seven women and five men, began their deliberations Tuesday morning after closing arguments were completed Friday afternoon. It took them only a few hours to agree on a verdict.
A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and turned down a plea deal from the prosecution to plead guilty to one count of assault and serve 180 days in prison. If he had been convicted following the trial, which began Jan. 24, Mayers could have faced up to 24 years in prison.
Mayers was charged with two counts of felony assault on Aug. 15, 2022, after he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with the shooting.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the shooting escalated from an argument on Nov. 6, 2021. LAPD identified Mayers as the gunman who “fired a handgun at the victim. The victim, A$AP Relli, sustained a minor injury from the incident and later sought medical treatment,” the LAPD said in a statement. Detectives said the suspect and two other men ran from the scene after the shooting.
During the trial, Mayers’ partner, Rihanna, frequently attended with their two young children to offer support. Rihanna was in the courtroom during closing arguments, when defense attorneys said Mayers’ gun was a only a prop for security, and again Tuesday when the verdict was read. Mayers did not take the stand during the trial.
