The A$AP Rocky trial got heated Thursday as Joe Tacopina, an attorney for the rapper, continued his cross-examination of A$AP Relli, who claims Rihanna's boyfriend shot at him in 2021.
Why Is A$AP Rocky on Trial?
A$AP Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The charges stem from a November 2021 incident in Hollywood, in which A$AP Rocky allegedly fired a gun at his former friend and fellow A$AP Mob member, A$AP Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron.
A$AP Rocky denies shooting the gun at A$AP Relli and says that the firearm is a starter pistol carried for safety reasons.
What To Know
In a moment not caught by livestream footage of the trial as the court called a recess, A$AP Relli reportedly addressed A$AP Rocky directly.
"'He's staring at me,' Relli complained," Rolling Stone reporter Nancy Dillon tweeted about A$AP Relli's response after the judge told him to stop talking.
There were several instances of ending the livestream on Thursday, which became a point of criticism for videographers in the courtroom.
Law & Crime managing editor Cathy Russon tweeted, "We have so many restrictions filming this trial..........it's very annoying. They had arguments this morning where the public and media were in the courtroom but we were told we could not turn the camera on."
Russon added, "This might be the most restrictive courtroom we have been pool in. We have to turn the camera off, not just mute and go to the seal, for every sidebar, every break, and any other time the court staff directs us to."
What People Are Saying
Judge Mark Arnold on banning the use of the N-word in court on Thursday: "If there's any exhibit or any recording that has the N-word, I want you to say 'N-word.' I don't want you to say what it says."
A$AP Relli to A$AP Rocky's attorney Joe Tacopina during a heated moment during cross-examination on Thursday: "Why are you showing my Instagram? I'm already getting death threats. People are threatening my daughter, like, what's going on here?"
Attorney Gloria Allred, to Newsweek on whether A$AP Rocky's partner Rihanna's presence in court could sway jurors: "Although jurors are instructed by the judge to consider only the evidence admitted by the court, it is human nature for many jurors to look at a celebrity sitting in the courtroom.
"Even though jurors should not take those facts into consideration and even if jurors state that they will not consider that, some jurors will not be able to ignore it."
What Happens Next
Tacopina's cross-examination of A$AP Relli remains ongoing on Friday.
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