A$AP Rocky turns down plea deal as trial opens on charges he fired a gun at a former friend

Rapper A$AP Rocky appears in a Los Angeles Superior courtroom on Aug. 17, 2022, where he pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool, File)

Los Angeles — A$AP Rocky turned down a final prosecution plea offer of 180 days in jail and will face the possibility of a guilty verdict and years in prison as jury selection began at his trial on Tuesday.

The agreement offered to the 36-year-old hip-hop star, fashion mogul and actor whose legal name is Rakim Mayers was to plead guilty to one of his two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Los Angeles County prosecutors would also recommend a seven-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and the six-month jail term.

But Rocky told a judge he respectfully declined.

He is accused of firing at a former friend near a Hollywood hotel in 2021, and could get a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.

Rocky’s attorney Joe Tacopina also revealed in court Tuesday that the defense plans to call witnesses to testify that a firearm seen on a security video is a “starter pistol” that Rocky carried as a prop for security purposes. The strategy had not been aired at pretrial hearings.

A panel of more than 100 prospective jurors were summoned to the downtown Los Angeles courtroom and packed into the gallery. Opening statements will come once 12 of them and alternates are seated, most likely Wednesday or later.

The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star, fashion mogul and actor whose legal name is Rakim Mayers is the longtime partner of Rihanna, and the two have two toddler sons together. It’s not entirely clear whether Rihanna will appear to support him at any point in court, but his attorney has suggested it’s unlikely. She did not attend Tuesday’s proceedings.

Rocky has been named one of the celebrity chairs of the Met Gala in May, and has a major role in a Spike Lee-directed film with Denzel Washington to be released soon after. But his life could be upended with a conviction.

Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold has said he plans to seat a jury quickly, and is keeping strict limits on how long attorneys can question prospective jurors.

“Mr. Mayers is an entertainer. His stage name is A$AP rocky. His life partner is also an entertainer. Her name is Rihanna,” Arnold told the prospective jurors. Because Mr. Mayers is an entertainer, a celebrity, that cannot harm him, and it cannot benefit him.”

The judge is allowing media cameras in court for the entire trial after a jury is selected.

In 2023, another judge ruled after a preliminary hearing that Rocky should stand trial for allegedly firing a gun at Terell Ephron, a childhood friend who testified that their relationship had soured and a feud came to a head on the night of Nov. 6, 2021. Ephron testified that bullets grazed his knuckles.