A$AP Rocky must stand trial on charges he fired gun at former friend, judge rules

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge ruled Monday that there is enough evidence for to stand trial on charges that he fired a gun at a former friend and collaborator on the streets near a Hollywood hotel in 2021.

Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar made the ruling at at a preliminary hearing, after hearing roughly a day and a half of testimony from two witnesses. Rocky, who gave no visible reaction to the decision, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

The 35-year-old rapper, fashion mogul and two-time Grammy nominee is in a relationship with Rihanna, with whom he has two young sons.

Villar said “the totality of the video and testimony” shows there is sufficient evidence for the defendant to go to trial. She emphasized that preliminary hearings have a much lower evidence standard than a trial.

“We’re not disappointed, not surprised, we expected to go to trial, we’ve been planning for trial all along,” Rocky's attorney, Joe Tacopina, said outside court. “Rocky is going to be vindicated when all this is said and done, without question.”