Rick Ross Arrested in Miami Over Alleged Domestic Violence Incident
American rapper Rick Ross has been arrested in Miami after a woman accused him of assaulting her and restricting her breathing during an alleged domestic violence incident at his Star Island residence in August.
According to Miami Beach police, Ross, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts II, voluntarily surrendered to police on Thursday and was taken into custody.
The 50-year-old rapper was booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at about 6:10 a.m.
Ross is facing one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery. The charges relate to an alleged incident on August 28, which was reported to police on September 29.
According to the arrest affidavit, the woman told investigators that she had been in a relationship with Ross for about a year and was living with him when the alleged incident occurred.
She alleged that Ross became angry after she was tagged in an Instagram photograph and slapped her in the face.
The woman further told police that Ross struck her several times in the chest and allegedly restricted her breathing by grabbing and twisting the collar of her hoodie.
The affidavit also states that Ross allegedly grabbed the woman by her ponytail, slammed her against a wall and hit her in the face, leaving her with a cut on her lip.
She also alleged that he pushed her to the floor and attempted to spray her with a shower head.
Police said the woman provided investigators with a sworn statement as well as photographs showing injuries that were timestamped.
Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage from the residence as part of the investigation, according to the arrest affidavit.
Ross has denied all the allegations.
“First and foremost, I’m totally innocent of the fabricated allegations made against myself. I repeat, I am totally innocent of these fabricated allegations,” Ross said in a video posted on his Instagram Stories.
His attorney, Bradley Horenstein, also rejected the allegations and called on the public to allow the legal process to take its course.
“All I can say is that the allegations are false. He’s innocent. Everything is going to come out,” Horenstein told CBS News Miami.
Ross appeared before a Miami-Dade bond court on Thursday through Zoom.
Judge Mindy Glazer found probable cause based on the arrest report and set his bond at $5,000.
The bond was set at $4,000 for the felony charge and $1,000 for the misdemeanor charge.
Ross was subsequently released after posting bond.
As part of the conditions of his release, the judge issued a stay-away order preventing Ross from directly or indirectly contacting the alleged victim.
He was also ordered to stay away from her residence, workplace and school.
The court further directed Ross to surrender any firearms and prohibited him from possessing firearms while the case remains pending.
Ross is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on October 22.
The allegations remain subject to the ongoing legal process, and the charges against Ross have not been proven in court.
