Rapper A$AP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty to Firearm Assault Charges

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two felony charges stemming from an alleged run-in with a former friend in Hollywood last November. The 33-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was charged Monday with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The charges include allegations that Mayers personally used a firearm. Mayers allegedly pointed a semiautomatic handgun at his former friend during a heated discussion Nov. 6, according to the District Attorney’s Office. During a subsequent confrontation between the two, he allegedly drew the weapon and fired twice in the alleged victim’s direction, prosecutors said. Los Angeles police said the man "sustained a minor injury from the incident and later sought his medical treatment." The suspect was subsequently identified as Mayers, a Los Angeles resident, also known as music artist A$AP Rocky, police said. Mayers was arrested April 20 at Los Angeles International Airport after arriving on a private plane from Barbados, where he had been on vacation with his then-pregnant girlfriend, singer Rihanna, according to NBC News and TMZ. He is due back in court Nov. 2. He remains free on $550,000 bail. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.