Rapper A$AP Rocky charged with felony assault with a firearm

Rapper A$AP Rocky was charged with two felonies on Monday (Aug 15) for pulling a gun on a former friend and firing in Hollywood last year, prosecutors said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged the 33-year-old New York native, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

Prosecutors allege that during an argument on Nov 6, 2021, Mayers pointed the handgun at the victim, then in a subsequent confrontation, drew the gun again and fired twice in the direction of the man, who sustained a minor injury. His name has not been released.

Mayers has not entered a plea to the charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday. An email seeking comment from representatives was not immediately returned.

“Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood,” said District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.

Mayers and two other men fled the scene after he fired the gun, police said. He was first arrested for the incident at Los Angeles International Airport on Apr 20, and was released on bail the same day.

A member of the Harlem hip hop collective A$AP Mob, A$AP Rocky first made his mark in music with the single Peso in 2011. His 2013 debut album, Long. Live. A$AP, went to No 1 on the Billboard 200, as did its 2015 follow-up, At. Long. Last. A$AP. He has been nominated for two Grammy Awards.

He is in a relationship with Rihanna, and the two had a son in May.

Mayers released his last studio album four years ago, and like Rihanna has become as known for fashion trendsetting as he is for music.

He was the focus of international attention in 2019 after being detained for nearly a month in Sweden following a street brawl. He was found guilty of assault and given a “conditional sentence” that meant no additional time in jail.