Rapper Rick Ross has been arrested on charges of domestic battery by strangulation.
Glamtush reports that American rapper, Rick Ross, has been arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, on charges of battery by strangulation and battery in an alleged domestic violence incident.
Ross, whose real name is William Leonard Roberts, was arrested by Miami Beach police early Thursday and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Centre at 6:10am, according to Miami-Dade jail and court records.
The 50-year-old rapper faces one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery, with both charges classified as domestic violence, CBS News Miami reported.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by The U.S. Sun, a woman who had been in a relationship with Ross for about a year told police that the rapper became enraged after discovering she had been tagged in an Instagram photograph.
The woman alleged that Ross questioned her about the photograph and accused her of being in a relationship with another man.
She told police that Ross slapped her in the face before continuing to question her while she was in the bathroom.
According to the affidavit, the woman alleged that Ross struck her several times in the chest before grabbing the collar of her hoodie and twisting it around her neck, choking her to the point that she could not breathe.
She further alleged that Ross grabbed her by her ponytail and slammed her against a wall.
The woman also told police that Ross struck her in the face while she was bent over, causing her lip to become injured.
She alleged that Ross then pushed her to the floor, turned on the shower and attempted to spray her with the showerhead, The U.S. Sun reported.
Ross’ lawyer, Bradley Horenstein, however, denied the allegations against his client and urged the public not to rush to judgment.
“All I can say is that the allegations are false. He’s innocent. Everything is going to come out.
“We just ask that you allow the process to play out before rushing to judgment, because the truth will come in,” Horenstein told CBS News Miami.
Ross’ bond was listed at $5,000 for the battery by strangulation charge and $1,000 for the battery charge, bringing the total to $6,000.
His arraignment is scheduled for October 22, CBS News Miami reported.
The arrest came days after Ross’ former girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick, publicly accused him of physical abuse.
Kendrick alleged in a series of Instagram posts that Ross injured her lip during an incident she said occurred about a month earlier. She also shared photographs of the alleged injury.
Yahoo reported that Kendrick said she ended her relationship with Ross after the alleged incident and described him as having treated her like a “punching bag.”
It is unclear whether Kendrick’s allegations are connected to the charges that led to Ross’ arrest.
CBS News Miami also reported that authorities had not immediately confirmed the identity of the alleged victim in the criminal case.
