Rakim Mayers, better known as A$AP Rocky, was detained on Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport in connection to a November 2021 shooting, according to multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the matter.
Mayers was arriving on a private plane from Barbados, where he had been on vacation with his girlfriend, the singer Rihanna.
According to the law enforcement sources, Rihanna was with Mayers when he was arrested, and a search warrant has been executed at Mayers’ residence in Los Angeles.
Mayers’ attorney, Alan Jackson, confirmed that his client had been arrested.
Mayers had been under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department for a Nov. 6 shooting near Vista Del Mar and Selma Ave. around 10:20 pm. The shooting victim later told police that Mayers, who was walking with two others, approached him with a handgun on the street. The victim claimed Mayers shot at him three to four times and believed one of the bullets grazed his left hand, according to police reports.
The shooting had not yet been reported in the media. In a statement on Twitter after publication of this article, the LAPD gave details of the November incident and said, “Early this morning, LAPD officers arrested Mayers for assault with a deadly weapon (firearm) at the Los Angeles International Airport. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.”
LAPD made the arrest with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations team.In January, Rihanna, announced that she was pregnant with her first child. In March, she told the magazine Elle she was in her third trimester. The singer turned 34 in February.
In 2019, Mayers, now 33, was arrested in Sweden after a fight on the street between his entourage and two men. Then-President Donald Trump fought for his release, warning Sweden it would face negative consequences if he was not freed.
He was convicted of assault, given a suspended prison sentence and had to pay more than $1,000 in damages. He served a month in jail before the sentence was handed down so did not have to serve any additional time.
