A judge ordered that rapper Tory Lanez be remanded into custody Tuesday after prosecutors said he violated a restraining order obtained by his former girlfriend Megan Thee Stallion.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said in a pretrial hearing that Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, violated two types of orders filed in his case. One is a "discovery protective order," and the other is a temporary criminal restraining order.
Lanez violated the orders by addressing his ex-girlfriend directly on social media and by discussing DNA evidence, prosecutors told the judge.
He was remanded in lieu of $350,000 bail.
His attorney, Shawn Holley, said the district attorney's office asked for his bail to be revoked entirely or increased to $5 million.
"We are pleased that the court rejected those outrageous requests," Holley said.
Lanez is scheduled for trial in September on one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. He is accused of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, during a 2020 dispute.
He was charged in October 2020 and pleaded not guilty.
Holley said in court Tuesday that there were four DNA contributors on the handgun, making results inconclusive for Lanez. In addition, Lanez's DNA was not found at all on the gun's magazine, which holds the bullets, his attorney told the judge.
Alex Spiro, the attorney for Megan Thee Stallion, emphasized in a statement Tuesday that a judge had found sufficient evidence to order Lanez to stand trial.
“Additionally, the judge found sufficient evidence today that he violated the order of protection and had him handcuffed in the courtroom,” Spiro said. “The self-serving noise in this case will not change the facts or prevent this case from proceeding.”
Lanez's bail was increased from $190,000 to $250,000 last year after the court found that Lanez had violated an order to remain 100 yards away from Megan Thee Stallion when they performed at the same concert, Billboard reported.
Megan Thee Stallion said in July 2020 that she had been shot in the foot and required surgery to remove the bullet. Initial reports at the time said she had been cut by glass at a party, but she disputed the headlines and told Instagram followers that she was the victim of a crime.
She later accused Lanez of being the one who shot her on her social media accounts.
The county prosecutors said at the time Lanez was being charged that the two "got into an argument while riding in an SUV in the Hollywood Hills," adding, "The victim exited the vehicle and [Lanez] is accused of shooting several times at her feet and wounding her."
