Rapper A$AP Rocky headed to Chanel to buy some birthday gifts for his girlfriend Rihanna after his not guilty verdict.
The three-time Grammy nominee, 36, was found not guilty of shooting a former friend during an altercation in Hollywood in 2021 on Tuesday.
He was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm against his former friend, Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli.
But in celebration of his acquittal, A$AP Rocky went shopping in Beverly Hills to buy a gift for Rihanna – who turns 37 years old on Thursday.
The rapper was seen buying a Rolex and some new clothes from a women’s boutique at the Beverley Hills store on Wednesday.
He then made a discreet exit from the back entrance of Chanel on Rodeo Drive before jumping into his yellow truck and heading home.
Rapper A$AP Rocky headed to Chanel in Beverley Hills on Wednesday to buy some birthday gifts for his girlfriend Rihanna after his not guilty verdict
But in celebration of his acquittal, A$AP Rocky went shopping in Beverly Hills, to buy a gift for Rihanna – who turns 37 years old on Thursday
Rihanna was emotional as she cried when the verdict of not guilty was announced on Tuesday. A$AP Rocky, who could have been sentenced to up to 24 years in prison, went over to Rihanna and hugged her tightly after he was acquitted.
A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli were close friends and part of the A$AP Mob crew during their high school days in New York. However, their friendship deteriorated after Rocky found fame.
Expressing his gratitude, a relieved A$AP Rocky thanked the jury, consisting of seven women and five men, as he exited the courtroom. Later, he and Rihanna were spotted reveling in a celebratory meal in Beverly Hills.
During the three-week trial, Relli testified that Rocky, real name Rakim Athelston Mayers, fired two shots from a handgun, grazing his knuckles.
The rapper’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, argued he was actually carrying a prop gun incapable of firing real bullets – and branded Relli an angry pathological liar’ who ‘committed perjury again and again and again and again’ during the trial.
It was not immediately clear whether the verdict was reached because the jury believed he was carrying a prop gun, or that he acted in self-defence.
Jurors began their deliberations on Tuesday after three weeks of testimony and arguments. It took them about three hours to reach a unanimous decision.
They had been instructed by Judge Mark S Arnold they could find Rocky not guilty if they deemed he was acting in self-defence.
He then made a discreet exit from the back entrance of Chanel on Rodeo Drive before jumping into his yellow truck and heading home
Rihanna broke down in tears as her boyfriend was found not guilty on all counts by jurors in his felony criminal trial on Tuesday
The rapper (pictured leaving court with the singer) was charged with a pair of felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in the 2021 shooting of his one-time friend, A$AP Relli
A beaming A$AP Rocky leaves court after fighting through the mob of fans outside the court
Relli (pictured) had told jurors during the trial his hand was grazed by a bullet Rocky fired from a gun, with the rapper’s lawyer arguing he was actually carrying a prop gun
A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, testifying during a hearing
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna step out for a late-night celebratory dinner at Gravitas Social Club in Beverly Hills after his not guilty verdict
Rihanna took to Instagram Stories Tuesday evening with an uplifting message after the verdict was read out.
‘THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE!’ the We Found Love artist said. ‘THANKFUL, HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY!’
The musical artist was emotional as he embraced his lawyers after the verdict was read.
Before going into the trial, Harlem-born Rocky had declined an offer from prosecutors of a six-month jail sentence and probation.
Under that offer, the rapper would have had to plead guilty to one count in the case, the AP reported.
During the trail, prosecutors in the case said A$AP Rocky shot twice at his former pal A$AP Relli.
Relli testified in the LA courtroom that he was unharmed in the shooting, aside from a bullet grazing his knuckle.
But he was slammed by Rocky’s defence attorney Mr Tacopina in closing arguments, who branded him ‘an angry pathological liar’ who ‘committed perjury again and again and again and again’ during the trial.
Rihanna was emotional after the verdict was read in the felony assault trial
A$AP Rocky celebrated the verdict with his legal team in the courtroom, hugging his lawyer Joe Tacopina in this shot
The Harlem, New York-born entertainer, before going into the trial, had declined an offer from prosecutors of a six-month jail sentence and probation
Arguing Relli had fabricated his account, the defence attorney told the court: ‘This case is about one man’s jealousy, lies and greed, and that man is not Rocky. That man is Terell Ephron.
A$AP Rocky’s legal team said that the shots the rapper fired were actually blanks from a prop gun he obtained from the set of a music video he was working on, the AP reported.
The jury was instructed by the court that under the law, A$AP Rocky could not be found guilty, if they found him to be defending himself in the incident.
Rihanna had drawn attention during her outings to the court to support her boyfriend, who she shares two children with: RZA, two, and Riot Rose, one.
In multiple outings, the What’s My Name? singer was seated between A$AP Rocky’s mother Renee Black and sister Erika B. Mayers.
The Diamonds artist had brought their young children to the court for closing arguments in the felony case.
The fashion mogul, who founded the company Fenty Beauty, was mentioned multiple times as attorneys conducted jury selection, amid speculation how her larger-than-life presence could sway jurors.
Following the verdict, jurors were led out of the courtroom and didn’t talk to the media as they departed, the AP reported.
It was not immediately clear what specifically compelled them to find him not guilty – be it the presence of the prop gun or his claims of acting in self-defence.
A$AP Rocky’s attorney Mr Tacopina said jurors ‘saw through this mirage of a case’ in their swift verdict.
