Rick Ross arrested in Miami Beach for alleged domestic violence attack

Rapper Rick Ross was arrested in Miami Beach on battery and domestic violence charges after an alleged violent attack on his girlfriend at his Star Island home.

Rick Ross charged with battery and strangulation following Star Island incident

Rapper Rick Ross was arrested on Thursday on charges of battery and battery by strangulation, both involving domestic violence, nbcmiami.com reports. Ross, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts II, was booked into Miami-Dade's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 6:10 a.m., according to jail records.

The alleged incident took place on the morning of 28 August at Ross's home on Star Island, an exclusive island neighbourhood in Miami Beach. It was reported to police on Tuesday. According to an arrest report, the victim had been in a relationship with Ross for approximately one year, and the two had been living together prior to the alleged attack.

Police say the victim stated she was woken up by Ross, who was "enraged" because she had been "tagged in a photo on Instagram." She told investigators that Ross "questioned her about lying to him and then proceeded to slap the victim in the face," subsequently accusing her of being romantically involved with someone "she was merely friends with."

The arrest report details a prolonged physical altercation. Each time the victim denied the accusations, Ross allegedly struck her, including several blows to the chest. He is also accused of choking her by grabbing the collar of her hoodie and twisting it until she could not breathe. At one point, he allegedly grabbed her by the ponytail and slammed her against the wall before striking her in the face as she was bent over, "causing a busted lip." He then pushed her to the floor and attempted to spray her with a shower head, the report states.

The victim was able to leave the bathroom and exit the residence. After Ross departed, she gathered her belongings and left the home. She subsequently provided police with photographic evidence of her injuries, with time stamps corresponding to the date of the alleged event. Detectives were also made aware of possible video footage linked to the incident.

"Not only were our investigators able to obtain a victim statement, but they also collected photographs of the injuries, surveillance video of the alleged incident, and they were able to establish probable cause for this arrest," Miami Beach Police spokesman Christopher Bess said. "It paints a picture of a very violent attack."

Ross turned himself in to Miami Beach police on Thursday and was arrested and charged accordingly. He declined to provide a statement on the advice of his legal counsel.

Ross retained attorney Bradley Horenstein, who filed a not guilty plea on the rapper's behalf. Ross appeared in bond court via video on Thursday, wearing a red jail outfit. Horenstein asked the court to expedite his client's release, citing safety concerns related to his profile.

"Hi Mr. Roberts, I have no idea who you are except as somebody here in the court who's going to be treated fairly just like everybody else here," Judge Mindy Glazer said before setting his bond at $5,000.

Ross left the jail later Thursday after posting bond. Speaking to reporters outside, he denied the allegations.

"I am totally innocent of these fabricated allegations made against me," he said. "It's totally fabricated. What my weekend looks like, I'll be in Dubai tomorrow, Paris Saturday, and I plan on having a bowl of rigatoni with heavy marinara Sunday."

Horenstein echoed his client's position following the hearing. "All I can say is that the allegations are false, he's innocent," the attorney said. "Everything is going to come out. We just ask that you allow the process to play out before rushing a judgment because the truth will come out."

Bess emphasised that the department treats all domestic violence allegations with equal seriousness regardless of the accused's standing. "No matter the celebrity, no matter the status of the alleged offender, we will investigate allegations of this sort," he said.

Ross's arraignment is scheduled for 22 October.

The Grammy-nominated artist is a South Florida native who rose to prominence in 2005 with his debut single "Hustlin'." Over a career spanning more than two decades, he has placed dozens of songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Ross grew up in Carol City and spoke to NBC6 in 2022 about his path to fame.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)