LOS ANGELES — Rapper A$AP Rocky was charged Monday with assault and accused of firing a handgun toward a former friend in November, prosecutors said.
A$AP Rocky, 33, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.
Officials say Mayers fired a handgun twice in the direction of a former friend after a “heated discussion” in Hollywood on Nov. 6.
The district attorney’s statement makes no mention that anyone was hit. The former friend told police he believed one of the bullets grazed his left hand, according to police reports.
Mayers’ attorney, Alan Jackson, had no immediate comment on the charges Monday.
Arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, the DA’s office said.
District Attorney George Gascón said the shooting could have ended in tragedy.
“Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood,” Gascón said in a statement.
The shooting happened a block south of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles police have said.
Mayers was arrested in April at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with the shooting.
In 2019, Mayers was charged in Sweden after a fight on the street between his entourage and two men.
He was convicted of assault, given a suspended prison sentence and had to pay more than $1,000 in damages. He spent a month in jail before the sentence was handed down.
Mayers called it a scary, humbling experience. The Swedish court found that the assault was not “of such a serious nature” as to warrant more time behind bars.
