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Rapper A$AP Rocky is set to face trial in court on October 21 for his involvement in the November 2021 shooting incident directed at A$AP Relli in Los Angeles. The rapper had previously pleaded not guilty of the charges.
On Thursday, May 23, Hot97 first reported that the trial date for Rocky has been finalized for October 21. The rapper was accused of assaulting fellow rapper and former collaborator A$AP Relli twice using a semi-automatic firearm. Rocky allegedly pointed and fired the semi-automatic gun at Relli twice outside a Hollywood hotel.
Superior Court Judge Karla Kerlin has also set the dates for two preliminary hearings before the official trial on June 28 and August 2, 2024. Rocky was reportedly not present in court when the dates were announced.
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Additionally, A$AP Relli has also sued A$AP Rocky for defamation. He claimed that Rocky and his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, has called him a 'blackmailed' in front of the media.
Rocky reiterated his non-guilty stance in January 2024 after latest developments in November last year brought out more alleged evidence in relation to the case.
Everything we know about A$AP Rocky's alleged assault case against A$AP Relli
The alleged incident involving A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli happened on November 6, 2021. According to Relli's testimony in court, he was residing at Loews Hollywood Hotel that night. The rapper claimed he woke up to a number of missed calls from Rocky and two other members of their band (Mob), A$AP Illz and A$AP Twelvyy.
After the several missed calls, Relli called Rocky on FaceTime and lied about his whereabouts, stating he was at W hotel. Rocky reportedly caught him lying because of the design of his room he saw on FaceTime, as per the testimony.
Despite everything, Relli decided to meet Rocky in front of W hotel. The rapper claimed in his testimony that he was under the impression that they would "talk" and there was only "a little bit of tension."
However, the alleged incident involving shooting took place right after the two rappers met in front of a parking garage on Hollywood Boulevard.
The incident was partially captured on CCTV cameras. According to Relli, Rocky held him by the collar, pulled a gun out of his waistband and held it against various parts of the rapper's body to allegedly threaten him.
Finally, he "turned around and shot" Relli with a semi-automatic firearm. Relli claimed A$AP Rocky allegedly shot at him three or four times.
The lawsuit against A$AP Rocky also consists of text messages he sent to Relli after the alleged shooting incident, where he denied having shot at Relli and urged him to "call the police" if he believed it were true. He wrote “stop makin s**t up" and “call the police if i ‘shot’ @ u u weirdo.”
Relli lodged his complaint at the LAPD's Hollywood station two days after the alleged incident on November 8, 2021. His attorney was present and the rapper reportedly also had shell casings he picked up from the alleged incident venue.
Subsequently, A$AP Rocky was charged with two instances of assault using a semi-automatic firearm. The rapper was arrested at the Los Angeles international airport on April 20, 2022 but released on bail the same night.
Rocky pleaded not guilty of the charges in August 2022. He could reportedly spend nine years in jail if proven guilty in court. Rocky's attorney's statement with the rapper pleading not guilty read:
"Defendant generally denies each and every allegation of the complaint, and specifically denies that Plaintiff has been damaged in any amount or in any way as a result of any act or omission of answering defendant."
It continued:
"The injuries and/or damages complained of in the complaint, if any, were caused solely, directly and proximately by the negligent and/or intentional acts or omissions of person other than answering defendant."
In preliminary hearings of the case, surveillance footage of the alleged incident was verified in court. The footage reportedly confirmed that there was a scuffle, but it could not confirm whether the shooting took place.
Relli mentioned in his testimony that Rocky had threatened to kill him, but the same could not be verified via footage.
New alleged video footage in the A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli shooting case emerged in November 2023
During a November 2023 hearing of the case, Superior Court Judge ML Villar declared that sufficient evidence was present for A$AP Rocky to face trial in court. The court ruled that there was enough evidence for the case to stand and face trial, but A$AP Rocky is yet to be proven guilty.
The decision came in light of new footage of the case arising in court, where two "loud pops" could be heard, but not seen, as per PEOPLE. Rocky's attorney Joe Tacopina argued against the ruling but to no avail.
Detective Frank Flores stated in court that he had reviewed the footage in question and confirmed that Rocky had a "gun in his hand" during the alleged incident, reported PEOPLE.
In cross examination, Flores stated the gun was "never recovered." According to PEOPLE, the shell casings that Relly presented to the police during his complaint also had no fingerprints.
In previous hearings, alleged photos of Relli's hand reportedly taken after the alleged assault incident with A$AP Rocky showed small patches of bloody skin between the index, ring, and middle fingers.
It remains to be seen whether Rocky is proven guilty or cleared of his charges in his upcoming trial on October 21. His lawyer Joe Tacopina had previously requested the court to avoid delays and hoped for the trial to take place in September.
Tacopina mentioned that his A$AP Rocky wanted to get the trial over with so he could "spend time with his family". The rapper shares two children with longtime partner and singer, Rihanna.
