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ASAP Rocky’s holiday season is off to a rough start. According to CBS, the “Riot” rapper’s felony assault case has taken a turn for the worse. On Monday, November 20, during a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles, California, Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar reportedly ruled that Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, must stand trial for allegedly firing a loaded weapon at his former friend and music collaborator ASAP Relli (real name Terell Ephron).
Mayers’ attorney, Joe Tacopina, reportedly questioned LAPD detective Frank Flores about the validity of the weapon in question allegedly shown in court video. “That gun or whatever it was was not tested, right,” asked Tacopina.
Flores replied, “No, it was never recovered.”
Tacopina said, “You’re not sure if it’s an operable gun or a non-operable gun or whatever?”
“Without having it, I can’t tell you whether it’s operable,” answered Flores.
Back in September, Mayers entered a plea of not guilty on both charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. However, if a jury finds Mayers guilty, he could face nine years in prison. That’s just the one side of the legal matter. Both Mayers and his attorney were supposedly named in a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim. The victim’s legal counsel alleges both parties “damaged [Ephron’s] reputation and his personal brand; goodwill in the community as a member of A$AP Mob,” which could result in loss of future wages.
Ephron is seeking punitive or exemplary damages in addition to the legal fees he incurred.
