Rapper Rick Ross was arrested on domestic violence charges. He faces felony strangulation and misdemeanor battery counts.
Rapper Rick Ross, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts II, was arrested Thursday in Miami Beach on domestic violence-related charges stemming from an alleged altercation with his girlfriend at his Star Island home in August. He faces a third-degree felony charge of battery by strangulation and a first-degree misdemeanor battery charge.
According to an arrest report, the incident occurred on the morning of Aug. 28 and was reported to police roughly a month later. The woman, identified in media reports as Jazzma Kendrick, told investigators Ross became angry after someone tagged her in an Instagram post, believing she was cheating on him, and struck her, including several times in the chest, each time she denied the accusation. The report states he grabbed her by the ponytail, slammed her against a wall and struck her in the face, causing a cut to her lip, before pushing her to the floor. She provided a sworn statement and photographs documenting her injuries, and police said they also gathered surveillance footage from the residence. Miami Beach Police said detectives “take any allegations of domestic violence very seriously,” citing that as the reason for their swift response.
Ross appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer on Thursday and was released on bond. Speaking to reporters outside the jail, he denied the allegations. His attorneys, Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein, said in a statement that Ross is “wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear,” and noted the roughly one-month gap between the alleged incident and the police report. Kendrick had previously posted photographs on Instagram on Sept. 26 showing an injury to her lip, publicly accusing Ross of physically abusing her during their relationship. Ross’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 22.