A$AP Rocky Found Not Guilty in Los Angeles Firearm Assault Case

Rapper A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty of assault charges stemming from a 2021 incident in which he was accused of firing a gun at a former friend during an argument in Hollywood.

A jury in Los Angeles delivered the verdict on Tuesday, acquitting the musician, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, on two felony counts of assault with a firearm. If convicted, he could have faced up to 24 years in prison.

The case centered around allegations made by Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli, who claimed that Mayers fired multiple shots at him during an altercation on November 6, 2021. One of the bullets allegedly grazed Ephron’s knuckles. However, Mayers denied the accusations, asserting that the alleged weapon was merely a prop gun and that Ephron was seeking financial gain.

When the first not-guilty verdict was read in court, cheers erupted as Mayers leaped over a barrier to embrace his family and longtime partner, Rihanna, who had been a consistent presence throughout the trial. The couple’s two young sons, RZA and Riot, were also in attendance.

“Thank God for saving my life,” Mayers said after the verdict, expressing gratitude to the jury.

The prosecution argued that Mayers had drawn a firearm and threatened Ephron before firing multiple shots. However, the defense countered that no gun had ever been recovered, and that Ephron’s delayed report to authorities, along with the shell casings he presented as evidence, raised doubts about his claims. Surveillance footage captured audio of gunfire but did not show Mayers shooting a weapon.

During testimony, Ephron faced tough questioning from Mayers’ defense team, who suggested he had fabricated the story. The trial also saw tense moments, including an instance where Mayers interrupted proceedings to instruct a witness not to answer a prosecutor’s question—an unusual outburst in a criminal trial.

Now acquitted, Mayers is set to return to music with his first solo album in nearly a decade and is scheduled to co-headline the Rolling Loud festival in Los Angeles in March 2025. He also stars alongside Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest, set for release in the coming months.