By Opeyemi Adelakun
American rapper Rick Ross has been arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, over allegations of domestic violence.
The rapper, whose real name is William Leonard Roberts II, was taken into custody in the early hours of Thursday and booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 6:10 a.m., according to Miami-Dade County jail records.
Ross, 50, faces one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery, with both charges classified as domestic violence, CBS News Miami reported.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by The U.S. Sun, the alleged victim told police that she had been in a relationship with Ross for about a year.
She alleged that the incident began after Ross saw that she had been tagged in a photograph on Instagram. According to her account, he confronted her, accusing her of being involved with another man, before allegedly slapping her.
The woman further alleged that the confrontation continued in a bathroom, where Ross allegedly struck her several times in the chest, grabbed the collar of her hoodie, twisted it around her neck and choked her until she could not breathe.
She also alleged that he pulled her by the ponytail, slammed her against a wall and struck her in the face while she was bent over, leaving her with an injured lip.
According to the affidavit, the woman further claimed that Ross pushed her to the floor, turned on the shower and attempted to spray her with the showerhead.
Ross’ lawyer, Bradley Horenstein, has rejected the allegations, maintaining that his client is innocent.
“All I can say is that the allegations are false. He’s innocent. Everything is going to come out. We just ask that you allow the process to play out before rushing to judgment, because the truth will come in,” Horenstein told CBS News Miami.
Ross is scheduled to appear for arraignment on October 22.
The arrest comes days after his former girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick, publicly accused him of physical assault in a series of Instagram posts.
Kendrick shared photographs of an injured lip and alleged that Ross caused the injury about a month earlier. She said she subsequently ended the relationship and described herself as having been treated like a “punching bag”.
Authorities have not confirmed whether Kendrick is the woman identified as the alleged victim in the current criminal case.
Ross has not been convicted of the charges, and the allegations remain subject to the legal process.
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