A$AP Rocky Reacts to Assault Conviction: 'Of Course I'm Disappointed'
A$AP Rocky has broken his silence after being found guilty of assault.
Just hours after his verdict was announced, Rocky, 30, revealed on Instagram that he is “disappointed.”
“I am of course disappointed by today’s verdict,” Rocky captioned a post, which shows him drinking out of a coffee mug. “I want to say thanks again to all of my fans, friends, and everyone who showed me love during this difficult time.”
Despite the sad news, Rocky said he’s going to “keep moving forward.”
“Thank you to my team, my management, attorneys, label and everyone who advocated for justice,” Rocky added.
RELATED: A$AP Rocky Found Guilty of Assault in Sweden But Won’t Face Additional Jail Time
Over a week after being released following a high-profile trial in Sweden, the rapper, who pleaded not guilty, was convicted of assault along with two members of his entourage by the Stockholm District Court on Wednesday. Though convicted, the rapper will not return to jail, according to NBC News.
The rapper and the two members of his entourage, Bladimir Corniel and David Rispers, have been given suspended sentences and ordered to pay damages to the victim, ABC News reports.
Rocky, né Rakim Mayers, was taken into custody on July 2 after he was arrested in Stockholm following a street altercation involving 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari. He was released from detention on August 2, on the final day of his high-profile trial at Stockholm District Court.
Rocky was on hand to hear testimony from witnesses, including his bodyguard before closing arguments were held. Upon the announcement that Rocky would be released pending the judge’s ruling later this month, the courtroom erupted and the rapper’s mother shouted, “There is a God,” USA Today reports.
A post shared by PRETTY FLACKO (@asaprocky) on Aug 14, 2019 at 12:33pm PDT
Rocky returned to Instagram shortly after the decision was announced, posting a photo of himself captioned, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of my fans, friends and anyone across the globe who supported me during these last few weeks. I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am for all of you. This has been a very difficult and humbling experience. I want to thank the court for allowing me, Bladi and Thoto to return to our family and friends. Thanks again for all of the love and support.”
Arriving back in the United States the following day, he was photographed looking elated as he exited the private jet he had taken overnight from the Stockholm Arlanda Airport to Los Angeles.
The musician made his return to the stage this past Sunday, with a set at 92.3’s Real Street Festival in Anaheim.
“What I experienced was crazy…I’m so happy to be here right now,” he said, according to videos of the event. “That was a scary, humbling experience but I’m here right now. God is good. People who ain’t even f— with me felt sympathy, sympathetic for my situation. People was praying for me, that uplifted me when my spirits was. I can’t thank y’all enough, man, that was crazy. Hip-hop never looked so strong together.”
While testifying on August 1, A$AP Rocky alleged that while trying to download an app to use an electric scooter, his bodyguard was approached by the alleged victim, CNN previously reported.
“Things got a little weird. We thought that the behavior of these guys was strange, it got a bit scary,” he told the court, adding that he suspected at the time that Jafari and his friend were on drugs, the outlet reported.
In his testimony, the rapper alleged that although he and his entourage attempted to walk away from the incident, they were followed by Jafari and his friend.
“At this point we are really scared. I saw my security guard being cut, bleeding. We didn’t know what to expect with these strangers — I’m not from Sweden, so it was really scary,” he said, according to CNN. “I wanted to go straight to the hotel for safety. I didn’t want this to happen.”
During the first day of the trial, Stockholm public prosecutor Daniel Suneson showed the courtroom footage of the incident, which occurred on June 30.
He alleged that the rapper threw Jafari on the ground before he and the two members of his crew beat him while he was down, NBC News and CBS News reported.
Jafari went on to allege that he was also hit over the back with a bottle, however, the defense said there was no evidence to prove that happened, according to NBC News.
Rocky spent nearly a month in jail since his arrest in July. His case gained national attention with President Donald Trump calling the prime minister of Sweden to help release him from jail. Trump also sent Presidential Hostage Affairs Envoy Robert C. O’Brien to Sweden to attend the rapper’s trial.
