A$AP Rocky Still In Swedish Jail Two Weeks After Altercation
American rapper A$AP Rocky is still being held in custody in Sweden following an altercation that took place there on June 30. The “Praise the Lord” singer turned himself into Swedish authorities after a fight broke out in Stockholm. As reported by Rolling Stone, he was later arrested for suspected gross assault.
Prior to his arrest, Rocky posted two videos on Instagram showing two men confronting him and his security guard on a Stockholm street and one subsequently hitting the security guard with his headphones. Rocky, who was in the country to headline a festival, captioned one of the posts saying that the men followed them for blocks and were also harassing women.
On July 1, TMZ posted a video that allegedly shows the rapper throwing one of the men down on the ground and hitting him.
A Swedish court ruled after his arrest that Rocky be held for two weeks in pre-trial detention so the fight could be investigated.
On July 9, Rocky’s manager John Ehmann posted about Rocky’s confinement on Instagram.
“The conditions of the facility are horrific and include 24/7 solitary confinement, restriction of amenities for the most basic of human functions, lack of access to life sustaining food as well as unsanitary conditions.”
He went on to say that Rocky was initially denied a visit with the U.S. Embassy Consult by police but was later allowed to visit with them and a lawyer in the presence of Swedish officials. He added that the prosecutor on the case was asking for a two-week extension, meaning a trial would only begin in mid to late August.
According to Complex, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, U.S. Representative for New York’s Thirteenth Congressional District, is currently trying to work with Swedish authorities, including the Swedish Ambassador in the U.S., to get answers as to why Rocky is being detained.
“I’ve seen the tape of what occurred, and clearly, he was provoked, and harassed, and followed, and accosted, and I think he acted in self-defense,” Espaillat said. “In fact, the first aggressor was the perpetrator when he threw his headphone at one of ASAP’s supporters or his security.”
Swedish law enforcement raided the hotel room of ASAP Rocky's longtime manager, John Ehmann: https://t.co/9o9bRgbk4K pic.twitter.com/jiNuwhRWvE
— Complex (@Complex) July 16, 2019
He continued by stating that it was worrying that Rocky wasn’t allowed to contact the U.S. Embassy in Sweden and that he was also worried about the conditions of the jail.
On Saturday, Ehmann’s hotel room was raided by Swedish police, as reported by Complex. Ehmann was not present during the altercation but his phone was confiscated during the police search.
Officials have until July 19 to decide whether to file a prosecution or request a longer detention to complete the investigation. Rocky will remain in jail until at least that time.
Swedish authorities are also investigating the two men, the alleged victims seen on Rocky’s Instagram posts, for assault.
