Rihanna made a shock appearance in court Wednesday to support her boyfriend A$AP Rocky as he faces up to 24 years in prison.
The pop megastar reportedly snuck into a downtown Los Angeles courtroom early in the morning through a concealed entrance.
The rapper’s partner, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, could be sentenced to many years in prison for weapon-related offenses. On the day of the court appearance, he arrived with his family and entourage, but Rihanna was notably absent.
According to a source speaking to the US Sun, Rihanna showed up at approximately 9:49 a.m. in a heavily tinted SUV. She was met by two security guards who skillfully diverted attention and escorted her through a side entrance away from the main crowd.
‘They jumped in her car in the underground parking lot, and she snuck into the court in a secret elevator and never walked the main corridor.’
Rihanna reportedly sat beside Mayers’ mother and sister in the front row of the courtroom, with several security guards sat around them.
Mayers is in legal trouble for allegedly shooting his former associate A$AP Relli in 2021. He is specifically charged with two counts of assault involving a semiautomatic weapon. Despite the accusations, he has maintained his innocence by pleading not guilty.
Rihanna made a shock appearance in court Wednesday to support her boyfriend A$AP Rocky as he faces up to 24 years in prison (seen together on Tuesday night in Los Angeles)
A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, faces prison time for allegedly shooting his former friend A$AP Relli (pictured) in 2021, and is charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon.
A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, seen testifying at Wednesday’s hearing
Rihanna, who shares two children with Mayers, has stuck beside the rapper since his first arrest on gun charges in April 2022, when the pair were returning to Los Angeles Airport from a Barbados vacation.
Prosecutors allege that on November 6, 2021, Mayers pointed a gun at his former friend during a confrontation, shooting at him and leaving him with minor injuries.
A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, testified against Mayers at an earlier hearing, claiming that the rapper held a gun to his stomach and said ‘I’ll kill you right now’ before firing at least four shots.
It is alleged that one of the shots hit Ephron’s hand, but he only reported the shooting the following day when a warrant was issued for Mayers’ arrest.
Two 9mm shell casings were recovered by Ephron after he returned to the scene of the alleged shooting, however police say the weapon Mayers allegedly fired has never been found.
On Tuesday, Mayers ‘respectfully declined’ a plea deal that would have seen him serve just six months in jail alongside a seven-year suspended sentence and three years of probation.
On Tuesday, A$AP Rocky (pictured at Wednesday’s hearing) ‘respectfully declined’ a plea deal that would have seen him serve just six months in jail alongside a seven-year suspended sentence and three years of probation
Rihanna (seen Tuesday night), who shares two children with Mayers, has stuck beside the rapper since his first arrest on gun charges in April 2022
Ephron was a former friend and collaborator of Mayers, after the pair became friends as teenagers while attending high school in New York together.
They were members of the A$AP collective, a group of students who made music and created art together. The A$AP (Always Strive And Prosper) Mob was formed in 2005, but Rocky only joined in 2007.
Ephron said their friendship continued as Mayers’ fame grew, but began to falter when he started backing out of business ventures.
At pre-trial hearings in November, Mayers’ attorneys attempted to spare him a court trial as they argued that surveillance video of the rapper holding a gun should not be permissible as evidence.
Prosecutors claim the video showed Mayers firing the weapon, which the rapper’s attorneys denied.
Detective Frank Flores of the Los Angeles Police Department testified at an earlier hearing that footage showed a gun in the rapper’s hand, but when pressed by the defense he conceded a weapon was never recovered.
However, Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar said ‘the totality of the video and testimony’ shows there is sufficient evidence for the defendant to go to trial.
