A$AP Rocky dives into Rihanna’s arms as not guilty verdict is read at felony assault trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A$AP Rocky embraced Rihanna in a moment of sheer relief as a clerk read out the not guilty verdict in his trial on two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The Los Angeles courtroom erupted with cheers as Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, jumped from the defense table into the gallery, where Rihanna sat alongside his mother and sister. Tears flowed as they embraced, overwhelmed with emotion.
After a three-week trial, the jury needed only three hours to reach a verdict that spared Rocky a prison sentence that could have stretched over two decades.
“Thank y’all for saving my life,” he told the jurors as they exited.
In the chaos of the moment, the clerk took a while to read the second not guilty verdict, though a split decision was highly unlikely.
“Mr. Mayers, you’re excused,” Judge Mark Arnold stated.
On the eve of trial, prosecutors had offered Rocky a plea deal of six months in jail, probation, and other conditions in exchange for admitting guilt to one count. But Rocky, maintaining his innocence, rejected the offer and put his faith in the jury—a gamble that paid off.
Rihanna, who attended parts of the trial and even brought their two sons—2-year-old RZA Athelston Mayers and 1-year-old Riot Rose Mayers—to some of the closing arguments, hugged the defense lawyers, as did Rocky.
After the verdict, the couple fought through a sea of photographers, reporters, and fans before escaping into a waiting SUV outside the courthouse.
“This whole experience has been crazy for the past four years,” Rocky said amid the frenzy. “I’m thankful and blessed to be standing here as a free man talking to y’all.”
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman acknowledged the jury’s decision, stating, “Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who break the law, no matter their status or influence. Fame does not place anyone above the law, and we will not waver in our pursuit of justice for victims and the community.”
The verdict comes at a pivotal moment in Rocky’s career. The three-time Grammy nominee, fashion mogul, and actor has a packed year ahead—headlining the Rolling Loud music festival in March, co-chairing the Met Gala in May, and starring alongside Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest, set for release this summer.
Prosecutors had alleged that Rocky was in a dispute with a former friend, A$AP Relli, a longtime member of the A$AP Mob. They claimed that on November 6, 2021, after a scuffle in Hollywood, Rocky fired two shots at Relli, one of which grazed his knuckle.
However, Rocky’s defense attorney, Joe Tacopina, countered that Relli was “an angry pathological liar” who “committed perjury again and again and again.” The defense argued that Rocky had fired a prop gun that only shot blanks, which he had taken from a music video set months earlier. They claimed he used it as a warning shot because Relli was attacking another member of their group.
The jury was instructed that if they believed Rocky had a reasonable fear that he or his friends were in imminent danger, and that he used appropriate force, they could acquit him.
After deliberating, the jurors left the courthouse without making statements, leaving their reasoning unclear—whether they believed Rocky had only a prop gun or that he acted in self-defense. Regardless, they reached the same conclusion: not guilty.
“They saw through this mirage of a case,” Tacopina said. “He turned down a plea for almost no jail time because he was innocent.”
During closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin urged the jury to ignore the celebrity factor, even suggesting that Rihanna’s presence with their children was an attempt to sway them.
“You are not allowed to consider how this might affect Rihanna and his kids,” Lewin argued. “We are all responsible for our own actions in the world.”
After the trial, Tacopina revealed that Rocky hadn’t wanted Rihanna to attend, hoping to shield her from the stress of the proceedings.
“Rocky did not want her here, I will tell you that,” he said. “But wild horses couldn’t keep her away.”
Rocky arrived more than 30 minutes late to hear the verdict, visibly tense as he awaited the decision.
“In that moment, before the clerk spoke, he didn’t know if he’d be going home or spending the next two decades in jail,” Tacopina said.
Then, as the verdict was announced, emotions ran high, culminating in Rocky’s leap into the crowd.
“I didn’t know how athletic he was,” Tacopina added. “That was pure, raw emotion—you all saw it. Even for us, it was insane.”
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