American
music artist A$AP Rocky has been charged with assault in
Sweden and will remain in custody until his trial, Swedish prosecutors said on Thursday.
Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, was arrested July 3 following a confrontation with a man on the streets of Stockholm.
His detention has drawn the attention of US President
Donald Trump, a group of
Democratic lawmakers and celebrities like
Kanye West,
Kim Kardashian and
Justin Bieber who have lobbied for the rapper’s release.
Trump said Saturday that he’d spoken with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and had “offered to personally vouch for [Rocky’s] bail,” though Sweden has no such system.
Löfven later said in a statement that while the two leaders had a “friendly and respectful” dialogue on the matter, the prime minister “made certain to emphasise the complete independence of the Swedish judicial system, prosecutors and courts.”Video of the brawl, which took place on June 30, appears to show Rocky hurling a man to the ground. The 30-year-old has claimed he acted in self-defence.
In Instagramvideos filmed on the day of the altercation, Rocky can be heard telling two men to stop following and harassing him and his entourage.
“We don’t want no problems with these boys. They keep following us. Look at them. They keep following,” Rocky said.
Swedish public prosecutor Daniel Suneson told AP in a statement that despite Rocky’s “claims of self-defence and provocation,” he’d determined that the actions of the rapper and two others in his entourage had constituted a crime.
Suneson said he had charged the three individuals with suspicion of committing an assault causing actual bodily harm.
“It is worth noting that I have had access to a greater amount of material than that which has previously been available on the internet,” Suneson said. “In addition to video material, the injured party’s statements have been supported by witness statements.”
Swedish law dictates that a trial must take place within two weeks, The
New York Times reported. The actual trial date is expected to be revealed next week.