A$AP Rocky was found guilty in Sweden of assault but won’t have to serve jail time.
The decision came down on Wednesday, and four judges said Rocky, as well as his two co-defendants David Tyrone Rispers and Bladimir Emilio Corniel, assaulted Mustafa Jafar in Stockholm during a street fight in June. And they “were not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defense.”
The rapper and his co-defendants will have to pay Jafar restitution and reimburse Sweden for court costs as well.
Jail time was avoided because prosecutors failed to prove if Rocky threw a bottle at the victim as they claimed. They also couldn’t produce any witnesses that saw a bottle fly in the air or it being thrown by the New York native.
Rocky admitted that he held the bottle to protect himself but never used it in the fight. So the judges said jail time wasn’t necessary and the men won’t have to do any community service.
It’s been over a month since the 30-year-old has been dealing with the assault charge.
He was arrested on July 3 after footage surfaced that showed him throwing the victim to the ground. But the following day Rocky posted another video to his Instagram page that showed Jafar being the aggressor.
Several rappers said they’d boycott Sweden until Rocky was freed. President Donald Trump also got involved and called Sweden’s Prime Minister but nothing was done as a result. Many claimed Trump was merely pandering to black people, however, and really didn’t care about the rapper’s situation.
In July the Congressional Black Caucus held a press conference and called for Rocky’s release, and Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York’s 13th Congressional District demanded he be freed as well.
When the “L$D” rapper was first jailed, there were reports that he was being kept in inhumane conditions, something the deputy governor at the Kronoberg remand prison where he was being jailed denied. Photos also surfaced of a jail cell, which showed a bed, desk and television.
Reportedly, Rocky said he didn’t feel race was a factor in his arrest, but his mother, who spoke to TMZ in July, disagreed.
On August 2, after a three day-trial, the rapper and his co-defendants were allowed to leave Sweden until a decision was reached, and they left on a private jet soon afterwards.
Rocky played his first show since being freed at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Sunday night and thanked people for supporting him.
He hasn’t addressed the verdict at this time.
