A$AP Rocky has officially entered a not-guilty plea related to two felony charges of assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
The plea, which was entered in a Los Angeles, CA courtroom on Monday (January 8) during his arraignment, was necessary because a judge ruled that there was enough evidence to warrant a trial based on an alleged 2021 shootout after he’d gotten into an argument with fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Relli.
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Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina — who is also currently defending Donald Trump in New York, for charges relating to the ex-president’s alleged falsifying of business documents — told Rolling Stone that his client is “confident” he’ll be vindicated.
Tacopina also said that the “Praise the Lord” rapper (real name Rakim Mayers) is looking forward to getting home to his family, including the two children he shares with Rihanna.
“He’s a very strong character, a very strong individual,” Tacopina said.
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Rocky is accused of shooting at former friend A$AP Relli during a “heated argument” in Hollywood in 2021. According to Relli, tensions between the two ignited after Rocky allegedly promised to help the family of a deceased member of the A$AP Mob, but never did.
During a meeting in a Los Angeles hotel back in 2021, Relli claims A$AP Rocky arrived with multiple men, pointed a gun at his stomach, and said: “I’ll kill you right now.”
He then testified that he was shot shortly afterward and claims Rocky shot him four times — including once in the hand — before fleeing the scene.
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Back in November, an LAPD detective testified that Rocky did fire a pair of shots at Relli (born Tyrell Ephron) in November 2021.
Security footage pieced together from nearby Los Angeles BLVD parking garages appeared to show a firearm in A$AP Rocky’s possession while getting into an altercation and then scurrying along to flee around the block by himself.
The first clips were muted while the final video shown in court included sound as two gunshot pops can be heard in the area around 10 p.m. PT on November 6, 2021, which aligns with the prosecutor’s records.
Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, grilled the detective in a cross-examination where the detective admitted that “nothing definitively” shows Rocky firing the shots.
The LAPD also never recovered the gun in question and the bullet shell casings didn’t have fingerprints connected to the Harlem rapper.
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Ephron is also suing A$AP Rocky and his lawyer Joe Tacopina for defamation, alleging the attorney of launching a media campaign against him that paints him as a liar.
The A$AP Mob co-founder could face up to nine years in prison if convicted as charged.
