Reuters/Allison Dinner
A Los Angeles judge ruled Monday that A$AP Rocky must stand trial on accusations he shot at a former friend in 2021—a ruling that came on the heels of prosecutors playing security footage in court that allegedly showed the rapper carrying a handgun just before the shooting.
The decision, made by Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar, came after a day and a half of testimony in a pair of preliminary hearings. Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to the two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm he faces.
Villar said the videos played by prosecutors, which appeared to show Rocky holding a pistol from multiple angles, helped her reached a decision to push forward with a criminal trial.