A$AP Rocky, Companions Charged; Will Stay in Swedish Prison Until Trial

A$AP Rocky at Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2019. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

A$AP Rocky and two members of his entourage were charged by a Swedish prosecutor on July 25 and will remain in prison in the country until trials are held.

Rocky, Dave Nispers, and Bladimir Corniel were charged with assault. The latter pair was identified by family members, not the prosecutor.

The trio was seen in video clips asking men to leave them alone before assaulting at least one man, who is no longer under investigation for his role in the assault.

Rocky, a platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated artist whose real name is Rakim Mayers, has been in custody since July 3. The fight happened on June 30.

Prosecutor Daniel Suneson said in a statement that he filed charges against the artist and two others “suspected of assault causing actual bodily harm, having come to the conclusion that the events in question constitute a crime and despite claims of self-defense and provocation.”

A$AP Rocky performs at the MARQUEE Singapore grand opening celebration in Singapore on April 13, 2019. (Christopher Jue/Getty Images for MARQUEE Singapore)

The rapper and his two companions will stay in jail until trial as Sweden has no bail system.

While Rocky’s lawyer has said his client was acting in self-defense, Suneson said video footage indicated otherwise. He also said he had more information than what’s available to peruse publicly.

“It is worth noting that I have had access to a greater amount of material than that which has previously been available on the internet,” he said. “In addition to video material, the injured party’s statements have been supported by witness statements.”

The trial date for Rocky or the two other men has not been announced. A representative for Suneson told the TMZ website that the trial will start within the next two weeks and that it will likely last three days.

According to TMZ, the man who authorities said was the victim admitted hitting Rocky’s bodyguard with headphones but said it was a response to the bodyguard lifting him from the ground by his neck. The bodyguard is not one of the three men charged.

A$AP Rocky attends Rihanna's 4th Annual Diamond Ball benefiting The Clara Lionel Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on Sept. 13, 2018. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Diamond Ball)

In addition to video footage captured by cellphones and surveillance cameras of Rocky and the others, Suneson accessed text messages from Rocky’s bodyguard, texts from his assistant’s phone, and a DNA analysis of a bottle that was seen being used in the assault, reported CNN.

Another man was injured in the assault but allegations he made were dropped because of lack of evidence, the prosecutor said in court documents.

President Donald Trump has tried intervening in Rocky’s case.

Trump said on July 19 that he was trying to get the rapper released after being informed of the situation by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump. She told reporters she was working with the U.S. State Department on the issue.

President Donald Trump speaks to media before departing the White House on Marine One en route to Bedminster, N.J., on July 19, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

“I personally don’t know A$AP Rocky, but I can tell you that he has tremendous support from the African American community in this country,” President Trump said. “When I say African American, I think I can really say from everybody in this country because we’re all one.”

In an update the next day, Trump said he spoke with the prime minister of Sweden.

“Just had a very good call with Swedish PM Stefan Löfven who assured me that American citizen A$AP Rocky will be treated fairly,” Trump said in a post on Twitter.

A representative for the prime minister later said the Swedish judicial system prevents officials from interfering in criminal cases.

Rocky’s mother said she was “very grateful” for the president’s efforts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News