The US rapper ASAP Rocky will soon have to answer in court for shooting a former friend. The 35-year-old musician, who is free on bail, must testify in court on January 8, a judge in Los Angeles ruled on Monday (local time). The rapper, who has two children with singer Rihanna, is charged with two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
ASAP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, denies the allegations. He had pleaded not guilty in the case, which dates back to November 2021.
Arrested in Sweden after a brawl in 2019
Mayer had clashed with Terell Ephron, with whom he had been a former friend, on a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The incident was partially recorded by a surveillance camera.
ASAP Rocky had pointed a semi-automatic weapon at his opponent. In a later confrontation, the rapper then fired shots in the direction of Ephron. He was slightly injured in the incident. ASAP Rocky was temporarily detained for the shooting.
It's not the first time the New York-born musician and singer of the hit song "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" has run afoul of the law. In 2019, he was arrested in the Swedish capital Stockholm after a street brawl. He was released after more than a month in pre-trial detention and was later sentenced to a suspended sentence for assault.