UPDATE 1:55 P.M. PST: A$AP Rocky has been officially released from Swedish jail pending a verdict in the trial.
Donald Trump tweeted the announcement Friday, writing:
A$AP Rocky released from prison and on his way home to the United States from Sweden. It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2019
The written verdict is expected August 14, but the rapper is free to leave the country and return to the United States. And luckily for him, according to TMZ, he won’t have to return to Sweden to hear what the court decides either… but will be ordered back for sentencing should that be the case.
Rocky has since taken to Instagram to break his silence, posting:
“THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART TO ALL OF MY FANS, FRIENDS AND ANYONE ACROSS THE GLOBE WHO SUPPORTED ME DURING THESE LAST FEW WEEKS I CANT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR ALL OF YOU THIS HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT AND HUMBLING EXPERIENCE I WANT TO THANK THE COURT FOR ALLOWING ME BLADI AND THOTO TO RETURN TO OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF THE LOVE AND SUPPORT”
See (below):
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0rAYCoHwUM/
To hear Swedish prosecutors tell their version of the story, it sure sounds like A$AP Rocky may be in MAJOR trouble in the Scandinavian country…
We’ve been tracking the rapper’s arrest and incarceration for quite some time now, but this week, Swedish prosecutors made their big move and argued Rocky ought to be locked up for at least six months. All of this stems from a brawl — and an alleged assault — that took place back on June 30 in Stockholm.
Related: A$AP Rocky Supporter Arrested At Swedish Embassy In Washington D.C.!!!
A$AP — real name Rakim Meyers — and his co-defendants, David Rispers, Jr. and Bladimir Corniel — all admit to getting into a fight with a 19-year-old man in Stockholm back on that date, but all three defendants have maintained they acted in self-defense during the brawl.
Swedish prosecutors don’t see it that way at all, however, with lead prosectuor Daniel Suneson delivering a very tough argument in court about going hard after the American rapper. According to the Swedish news outlet Expressen, Suneson argued loudly against the rapper’s self-defense claim, stating instead (below):
“These three should be found guilty of assault, I have disproved their argument of self-defense. [They] used more violence than was needed. It cannot have been self-defense as they were five against two.”
Ultimately, Suneson argued Rocky should be sent to a Swedish prison for six months.
The prosecutor’s argument there came after one final day of witness testimony, during which two women who saw the fight testified about the potential use of glass bottles during the melee. Rocky’s team has consistently denied he ever used bottles as part of the incident, instead picking them up only to keep the potential weapons away from the man who was allegedly attacking them.
The assault charge in question here carries a maximum of two years in jail, so a six-month sentence would seem to be somewhat lighter than possible. Still, if Rocky is found guilty and sentenced as so, it’d be a major jail term for an American celeb passing through the country.
In the defense’s closing statement — which occurred just hours ago — A$AP’s lawyers say nothing the rapper did was premeditated or otherwise coordinated with his crew. They are also pointing to video evidence which purportedly shows Rocky fighting with the victim for only six seconds, claiming it’s the only time the rapper engaged with the victim, and it alone shouldn’t qualify him for months in prison.
Ultimately, a verdict is expected to come down later today. Of course, we’ll bring you the news as it’s made available out of Stockholm. Quite the controversy!!!
[Image via WENN]
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