A$AP Rocky has been charged with assault in Sweden, after a street brawl which saw a man beaten and cut with a broken bottle.

Prosecutors just hit A$AP Rocky (real name Rakim Mayers) with Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm stemming from a street brawl in the country’s capital, and if convicted he could spend 2 years behind bars.

Rakim Mayers, has been in custody since 3 July, after he was involved in the altercation outside a burger restaurant late on Sunday evening, and is currently facing serious charges.

Footage published by celebrity gossip website TMZ after his arrest showed a man resembling Mayers throwing a person to the ground before he and a group of men punched and kicked the victim in the head.

Witnesses stated that the fight started because the man was hounding A$AP and his team over a pair of headphones he claimed they had broken.

Mayers posted a video on Instagram that showed him being followed by the two men who were later attacked – one appears to attack Mayers’ security guard by throwing a set of headphones at him.

The guard is heard telling a bystander: “He hit me with the headphones, he cut me on my head – I could really beat the shit out of him, I don’t even know him, he’s following us. Tell him to leave us alone.”

Mayers says: “We don’t want to fight you … We don’t want no problem with these boys – they keep following us.”

Prosecutor Daniel Suneson said in a statement on Thursday that he filed charges against the artist and two members of the rapper’s entourage, “having come to the conclusion that the events in question constitute a crime and despite claims of self-defence and provocation”.

The case has drawn the attention of fellow recording artists and Donald Trump. On 19 July, the president tweeted about the rapper’s situation from aboard Air Force One: “I will be calling the very talented Prime Minister of Sweden to see what we can do about helping A$AP Rocky.”

The Swedish prosecutor just stated that he had access to more information than people on the internet.

Daniel Suneson said he’s reviewed video and also talked to witnesses, and determined the claims by Rocky and his 2 crew members of self defense and provocation didn’t hold water.

The prosecutor says he also considered the alleged victim’s statement, which he says was supported by witness statements.

The alleged victim admits striking A$AP’s bodyguard with a set of headphones, but only after the bodyguard lifted him off the ground by his neck, so the prosecutor viewed the headphones attack as self defense.

Prosecutor Suneson said in his statement: “It is worth noting that I have had access to a greater amount of material than that which has previously been available on the internet,” and that “in addition to video material, the injured party’s statements have been supported by witness statements.”

The three suspects will remain in custody until trial. The Stockholm District Court will set a date for the proceedings.

Share this: Facebook

Reddit

Twitter

WhatsApp

