A$AP Rocky Cleared of Charges in Hollywood Trial

AP Rocky Found Not Guilty

$ AP Rocky was acquitted in court regarding his involvement in a shooting incident from 2021.

After nearly a month-long trial in Los Angeles, the jury declared $ AP Rocky innocent after he stood accused of allegedly firing a pistol at his former friend, AP Relli, in Hollywood in 2021.

Rocky faced a potential 24-year prison sentence if convicted, having initially rejected a plea deal that would have resulted in 180 days of incarceration.

Celebration in Courtroom

According to a report from LA Times, a loud cheer erupted in the courtroom when the clerk announced the jury’s verdict of not guilty. Among the first to celebrate was Rocky’s partner, Rihanna, who rushed to embrace him. Following the verdict, $ AP Rocky expressed his gratitude to the jury, declaring it a “salvation of my life” and affirming that they “made the right decision”.

As soon as possible rock Pic.twitter.com/XZRK17L4BB

– atp (@atp_rap) 19 February 2025

The trial commenced on January 24, with prosecutors alleging that Rocky—whose real name is Rakim Mayers—had pointed a gun at Relli, whose real name is Terell Efron, and fired while hitting Efron’s knuckles.

During the proceedings, the prosecution claimed that Mayers fired multiple rounds from a 9mm semiautomatic pistol during a confrontation with Relli in Hollywood.

Rocky’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, stated that the rapper admitted to pulling the trigger of the firearm he carried that night, asserting that he discharged “two warning shots” from his “starter pistol” to de-escalate the confrontation between Relli and another associate from their crew, $ AP Mob.

He noted that the weapon used that evening was a “prop gun” featured in a music video filmed a few months prior with Rihanna, whom he referred to as his “life partner” and mother of their two young children. Importantly, no live ammunition was discharged from the firearm.

A significant revelation in the trial, reported by Variety, occurred when Efron testified that he had been shot two weeks before the incident. This allowed Mayers’ legal team to argue that the shell casings found at the crime scene were not from his weapon, suggesting that Relli might have been shot while being detained.

While not required to testify, Rihanna attended several court dates in support of $ AP Rocky. The couple, who began their romantic relationship in 2020 after meeting in 2012, have two children together but are not married.