A$AP Rocky HUGS Rihanna After Being Found NOT GUILTY In Gun Trial
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00:00ASAP Rocky made a grand gesture after he was found not guilty on two felony counts of assault
00:16with a semi-automatic firearm on February 18th.
00:20The 36-year-old jumped over the courtroom gallery to hug his longtime partner Rihanna,
00:25who emotionally wrapped her arms around him after the clerk read the verdict.
00:30The jury unanimously
00:58found the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, not guilty after he was accused of
01:03shooting at his former friend rapper Tarell Efron on a Hollywood street in 2021.
01:08If he was found guilty, ASAP could have faced up to 24 years in prison.
01:13Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hodgman released a statement
01:17following the verdict which read in part,
01:20While today's verdict is not the outcome we sought, we respect the jury's decision
01:24and the integrity of our justice system.
01:26Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who break the law,
01:30no matter their status or influence.
01:32Fame does not place anyone above the law,
01:34and we will not waver in our pursuit of justice for victims and the community.
01:40Outside the courtroom, ASAP's lawyer Joe Tacopina spoke to reporters and commented
01:44on the grand gesture the rapper did after the verdict was read.
01:49I didn't realize how athletic he was.
01:50He, in a single leap, went over the jury box.
01:55I mean, the spectator row.
01:57Look, that was raw emotion.
01:58That was happiness.
01:59You know, there was a moment where, before we heard the words from the clerk,
02:05you know, he didn't know if he was going to be spending the next two decades in jail
02:09or going home.
02:10And so when you hear those words, obviously, you know, I know how he was feeling.
02:15We've been in communication the last few hours.
02:17And it's a lot on the line.
02:19He has two little children.
02:21He's got a beautiful wife and he's got a family.
02:24So that was raw emotion.
02:25You guys got to see that.
02:26And, you know, even for us, I mean, it was insane.
02:32So it was just very, very satisfying.
02:34Well, they promised their third kid would be named ASAP Joe.
02:37So that's as far as I know.
02:38I'm kidding.
02:40You know, what's next is they're going to move on.
02:42I mean, they have a lot of great things professionally to do.
02:46You know, Rocky's really at the height of his career.
02:49He's worked with Gucci.
02:50He's worked with Puma.
02:50He's got a lot of things going.
02:52Obviously, Rihanna is on top of the world.
02:55And they have two beautiful, beautiful children.
02:58And they have a family.
02:58And you saw them come together.
03:00And, you know, I took offense to the prosecutor, Lewin,
03:02saying that they manufactured some sort of appearance of a family in his summation.
03:08But I think the jury obviously took offense to that, too.
03:10They're a family.
03:11And they were a family.
03:12And that's why she was here to support him.
03:13And that's why his kids came.
03:15He doesn't know when he's going to see them again.
03:16And if this didn't go well for him, not that I thought it wasn't going to,
03:21you know, so that was it was just beautiful to see.
03:23You know, that's what we do.
03:24We work hard.
03:25And these trials are hard.
03:27And they tax us.
03:28And you don't sleep.
03:29But at the end of the day, this is what it's all about.
03:31That's why I went to law school.
03:32That's why he went to law school.
03:32So you see this.
03:34And it makes it all worthwhile.
03:35Dude, he was way calmer than I was.
03:37I mean, he was calming me down.
03:39So, like, I was more anxious and nervous.
03:42I mean, but that's always the way it is for me.
03:45You know, when something so important is about to happen.
03:49He was really calm, cool, and collected at the end, obviously,
03:51when that jury started piling in.
03:53And, you know, you can't read anyone's faces.
03:57There was a tension that he said, I can't breathe.
04:00And I said, neither can I.
04:01So that makes two of us.
04:03Chad and I have been together 22 years.
04:05I know how he feels.
04:06So it's just a moment of incredible angst.
04:12But when you have something like this happen, it makes it all worthwhile.
04:15It's great.
04:16The key evidence.
04:18The fact that there was no evidence.
04:19I think that was the key evidence.
04:20I think relying on Tarell Efron for any matter of importance in your life,
04:24a decision on a matter of importance in your life
04:27would not be possible for anyone with a brain.
04:30And the jury clearly understood that argument.
04:33And then when I pointed out to the jury that I got detective Flores,
04:36their lead detective, to say without Efron's testimony,
04:40there's no evidence of a shooting, one way or another,
04:42that could be or that cannot be.
04:44That really was it.
04:45I left 10 questions for John Lewin to answer.
04:47He didn't even look at one.
04:49And those were 10 important questions, including number nine,
04:51which was without Efron's testimony, as the prosecutor asked,
04:56detective Flores acknowledged that there's not enough evidence in this case
05:00to say that definitively there was a shooting.
05:02So I was surprised he didn't touch those questions,
05:04but I knew he couldn't answer them.
05:06And that's why I put him up there.
05:07So anyway, I think that's why the jury came.
05:10And look, it was a quick verdict, right?
05:11I mean, they started at almost 10 o'clock.
05:13They had a lunch break.
05:14They watched the video and they had a verdict.
05:16So, you know, for basically a four-week trial,
05:20when I heard there was a verdict, I felt pretty good.
05:23Not so overly confident, because you just never know,
05:25but I felt pretty good.
05:26I've been here for over a month, and it's just me walking around me.
05:30I'm not him, right?
05:32People were just wishing me luck for him.
05:34I mean, he's loved, very well loved in this city.
05:38And I think, you know, he's got a lot of fans.
05:40And that doesn't happen because he's a singer.
05:42It happens because who he is as a person.
05:44A lot of what destroyed in here was who ASAP really is,
05:48who ASAP Rocky is as a person.
05:49He does incredible charity work.
05:51He gives back to the community.
05:52He's really, he's become a dear friend of mine, more than a client.
05:57And that's why cases like this are really difficult for me,
06:00because there's so much on the line.
06:01I mean, I care about every client I represent
06:03to the point where they become family.
06:05This was at a different level.
06:08And so I was just not prepared.
06:09I would not accept any other verdict than this one.
06:11He and I have bonded over the last three years in a way that,
06:16you know, and he's just a different person.
06:19I attribute that to him, the way he conducts himself,
06:21the way he's so appreciative with us,
06:24the way he is with his, I mean,
06:26I spent time with him and Rihanna at their house.
06:29And they're just, you know, as humble as can be
06:32for people with that level of success.
06:34They just, they are really sweet, good people.
06:37And I would have been really, really hurting
06:41if this didn't go the right way.
06:42But, you know, thank God that jury, we had a great jury.
06:44Speaking of family, do you think the jury
06:46seeing A$AP with Rihanna as a family man
06:49and their children helped his defense?
06:51No, I don't think that helped his defense at all.
06:53Look, everyone knows he had Rihanna.
06:55Everyone knows he has two kids, sorry.
06:57I mean, I don't think the jury's like,
06:59all right, we think he's guilty, but look at the kids.
07:01I mean, you know, I'm glad the prosecutors
07:03were focused on that in their summation.
07:04We didn't.
07:06We, the evidence in this case was deficient.
07:09I think that they need to be going after Tarell Efron.
07:13As I've always said, he was an extortionist.
07:15He was someone who we showed committed extortion.
07:18The tape that one of you all said
07:21was really good for the prosecution that we brought in
07:25turned out not to be so good for the prosecution.
07:27It was him repeating the same story
07:28that he'd repeated since day one.
07:30But what it had on there was, one,
07:31him committing perjury to this jury,
07:33and two, him acknowledging he wanted $30 million
07:36and he disappeared to an island.
07:37That's called extortion.
07:39For what?
07:40To get his $697 he has in his bank account?
07:43Even though, if you look on Instagram, he's a billionaire.
07:46But, you know, I'm not suing Raleigh.
07:48I have other things in life to do.
07:51You know, he sued us.
07:53And after today, I don't think that's going so well.
07:55So, but anyway, look, I'm just happy the jury
07:59came to the right conclusion swiftly.
08:00You know, who knows what made a difference?
08:02I mean, that jury, they were able to speak to you guys
08:05if they want to.
08:05I don't know if they're going to.
08:08In both ways, the gun wasn't presented, right?
08:10Our gun, the gun that Rocky actually had, the prop,
08:12or the gun that the prosecution said he had,
08:16wasn't produced.
08:16So I think it was a wash, so to speak.
08:19I think the jurors had to go on the evidence that they had,
08:21right?
08:22They can't speculate.
08:23They had evidence in this case.
08:26Most of the incriminating evidence
08:28came from the words of someone who's, as I said,
08:31whose tongue is a stranger to the truth.
08:34You know, is an admitted perjurer, admitted liar,
08:37so I just don't think any jury could embrace that.
08:41And if you can't believe Tyrell Ephron in this case,
08:44you can't convict.
08:45It was that simple.
08:46Yeah, I think that was a great bonding experience
08:48for them personally.
08:48I mean, I've known them for a while.
08:51Rihanna is an amazing woman, strong woman,
08:56and she obviously was there to support him.
08:58She'd always been in touch with me throughout the process
09:00to make sure things were going well
09:02and privately wanted reassurance,
09:05but she was here.
09:07Rocky did not want her here.
09:08I will tell you that.
09:09I think I said it to you in the beginning.
09:10He did not want her here.
09:12He wanted to shield her from this.
09:14Wild horses couldn't keep her away.
09:16So, you know, you go through something like this
09:18as a family, it brings you closer.
09:20It's a bonding experience,
09:21and they are just two special people,
09:24so I can't imagine this has been anything
09:26but a life-altering experience for them.
09:36Yeah.