Prosecutors rest A$AP Rocky case in gun assault trial
Harlem emcee A$AP Rocky is in the midst of a legal battle. The ‘L$D’ rhymer is facing two felony charges for assault with a semiautomatic firearm after he allegedly fired a gun at A$AP Relli in 2021.
According to reports after the incident, he fought in a Hollywood street and has insisted that it escalated to a point where his former friend took out a gun and pointed it at him. According to Relli, Rocky, as he walked after him, pulled the gun again and then held it in the air.
On January 30th, during the legal proceedings, Relli asserted that, on the evening of the alleged assault, A$AP Rocky aimed a gun in his face, claiming, “A gun was pulled on me. It was pointed at me, and it was fired later.”
That said, over several days, Los Angeles County prosecutors called five witnesses to give their testimonies, including two police officers, a police detective and a firearms expert, to clarify the kind of weapon that Rocky allegedly used to attack A$AP Relli.
Still, one of the County’s witnesses was A$AP Relli himself, who took the stand to give evidence against his old friend. Relli was an aspiring music manager and an affiliate of Harlem’s A$AP Mob, which arose in the early 2010s.
However, Rocky’s defence cross-questioned him for three days during the recent proceedings. At one point, he allegedly screamed, “You think you’re slick! You’re not going to keep tripping me up! You’re not slick!” Over the course of his questioning, A$AP Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, reportedly managed to poke holes in Relli’s recollection of events.
On February 6th, one of the most critical witnesses, LAPD detective Frank Flores, took the stand. The detective reportedly admitted that, from the video surveillance available, he couldn’t visibly identify a firearm but said that the audio provided “the distinct sound of a firearm” or “some kind of replica firearm potentially.” Still, Flores insisted that due to the behaviour of the men, their body movements and their reaction to the sounds, he was led to the conclusion there was a shooting.
The prosecution has now rested the case, meaning that the defence will be calling witnesses, and one of the individuals giving testimony will be A$AP Twelvyy. It is not clear yet whether or not Rocky will take the stand to give his own testimony.
Although it could lead to a ruling in his favour, the emcee is not legally required to take the stand if he doesn’t want to. However, the ‘Praise The Lord’ rapper has proved relatively okay with risks as he turned down a plea deal before proceedings.
If willing to plea guilty to one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, Rocky would have received a lesser punishment of just 180 days in jail and other relatively minor penalties. However, if found guilty after his not-guilty plea, he could now face up to 24 years in prison.