A jury has found American rapper A$AP Rocky not guilty of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm following a nearly month-long trial in Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, February 19, 2025, the highly anticipated verdict was read out loud to the courtroom, leading to an eruption of loud cheers. Overwhelmed by emotions, the rapper immediately hugged his lawyers and ran straight to his romantic partner and mother of his children, Rihanna.
At the beginning of the trial, Rocky entered a not-guilty plea to two felony charges linked to an incident where he allegedly pulled a gun and fired at his former childhood friend, Terell Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli from the A$AP mob.
"We said from day one, he was innocent. He turned down a plea for almost no jail time because he was innocent, We're honored to have represented this amazing family, " Joe Tacopina, his defense attorney, told reporters outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown LA.
Rocky's reaction and running straight to Rihanna garnered reactions on social media: