Rapper A$AP Rocky was ordered by a Swedish court on Friday to be held in pretrial detention for two weeks while police investigate a fight in downtown Stockholm.
Prosecutor Fredrik Karlsson said Friday after the hearing at the Stockholm District Court that A$AP Rocky — whose real name is Rakim Mayers — was to be held on a lesser assault charge than he had initially demanded.
“They were attacked, and he made use of self-defence,” said defence lawyer Henrik Olsson Lilja, adding that the rapper would appeal the ruling.
A$AP Rocky had to cancel performances in Norway and Poland. He was also set to headline Wireless Festival in London on Sunday.
A screen in front of a room in the district court in Stockholm announces a hearing of U.S. rapper Rakim Mayers, known by his stage name A$AP Rocky, on July 5, 2019. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
Sweden’s TT News Agency confirmed that the rapper’s world tour has been paused.
A$AP Rocky was detained late Tuesday night following an altercation on a street in Stockholm.
The Fashion Killa rapper and three other people were arrested after a performance at the Smash Festival in Stockholm.
A Swedish Prosecution Office spokesman told CBS News the 30-year-old rapper was arrested for suspected “gross assault” but declined to provide further details.
Prosecutors said in a statement that an investigation remained in the “initial” stages and thus no information about any evidence would be given.
On Sunday night, a video emerged online allegedly showing A$AP Rocky throwing a man through the air.
The video was published to Stockholm news outlets, and the rapper posted videos of his own to his Instagram account.
In the video, the man who the rapper allegedly threw is seen harassing A$AP Rocky and his entourage on the streets of Stockholm.
In the Goldie rapper’s videos, two young men can be seen following A$AP Rocky and his entourage even after his security tells them to leave.
On Instagram, he described the people following him as “drug addicts” that “are not my fans.”
“We don’t know these guys and we didn’t want trouble, they followed us for 4 blocks, and they were slapping girls [sic] butts who passed, give me a break,” A$AP Rocky captioned the video he posted on July 2.
In the video, the rapper repeatedly tells the pair of young men that he does not want to fight them.
“We don’t wanna fight y’all, we not trying to go to jail … It’s OK, bro, chill,” A$AP Rocky can be heard saying in the video.
(WARNING: The video below contains explicit language.)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzax42UnxN0/
SO A FEW DRUG ADDICTS ARE NOT MY FANS , WE DONT KNOW THESE GUYS AND WE DIDNT WANT TROUBLE , THEY FOLLOWED US FOR 4 BLOCKS , AND THEY WERE SLAPPING GIRLS BUTTS WHO PASSED , GIVE ME A BREAK
A post shared by PRETTY FLACKO (@asaprocky) on
He posted another video to Instagram, writing: “I’m innocent. They trynna [sic] arrest me out here now, SMH [shake my head].”
At one point in the video, one of the men following A$AP Rocky appears to hit the rapper’s security guard with a large pair of headphones.
“Hits security in face with headphones then follow us,” A$AP Rocky wrote.
(WARNING: The video below contains explicit language.)
A post shared by PRETTY FLACKO (@asaprocky) on
While A$AP Rocky’s legal situation proceeds, the A$AP Mob has started a “Free Rocky” campaign.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzePo15lHJb/
#FREEROCKY
A post shared by A$AP Mob (@asapmob) on
Many other celebrities and fans took to social media to stand behind the rapper in support.
—With files from the Associated Press
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