A$AP Rocky rejected a final prosecution offer for a plea deal on Tuesday in Los Angeles as his assault and weapons trial began.
The rapper, born Rakim Mayers, told the judge on Jan. 21 he “respectfully declined” the prosecution’s offer of a six-month jail term, three years of probation, and a suspended seven-year sentence if he pleaded guilty to one of the two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm against him, according to the Associated Press.
Rocky is accused of opening fire on his former friend Terell Ephron, a fellow performer who goes by the stage name A$AP Relli, during a heated argument in Hollywood on Nov. 6, 2021.
The rapper was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in 2022, as he arrived on a private plane from Barbados with his superstar girlfriend Rihanna.
He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could get a maximum sentence of 24 years in state prison.
Related: Rapper A$AP Rocky Charged With Assault in Hollywood Shooting
Also, during Tuesday’s proceedings, Rocky’s attorney Joe Tacopina revealed that their defense plan is to call witnesses to testify that the firearm seen on security video is a “starter pistol” that the rapper carries “as a prop for security.”
Opening statements will come once 12 jurors and alternates are seated. Jury selection started on Tuesday, with more than 100 prospective jurors gathering at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse.
Back in November 2023, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar ruled there was “sufficient evidence” to allow the case against A$AP Rocky to go to trial.
Ephron testified during the November hearing. He alleged during the altercation, which took place outside of a parking garage, that A$AP Rocky “pulled a gun from his waistband” and put the gun toward his stomach, saying, “I’ll kill you right now.” Ephron allegedly was shot at and a bullet grazed his left hand.
Tacopina has maintained Rocky’s innocence and has called him the “victim in the case.”
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